For the First Time
by Gemmi92
Summary: There were two days which changed Clark Kent's future. The day his father died, and the day she left him for New York College. He never thought he would see her again, but he never thought she would be caught up in an attack on earth either. Clark/OC
1. Chapter 1

"Clark Kent, that is not funny!"

Martha Kent stopped what she was doing for a moment as she heard the young girl shout loudly. She couldn't help the smirk which escaped her lips as she thought about what the two of them were arguing about this time inside of the house. Hank was sat at her feet, barking loudly as they heard laughter and shrieks coming from inside the house.

"Is that girl back here?"

Martha turned around as she heard Jonathan speak to her, the smile still on her face as she nodded once and began to peg the sheets to the line. She looked back down the long road which led up to their house and noted that her husband had abandoned the car just on the side of it. Apparently he would be going out again.

"She's always here," Martha said. "You know as well as I do that she does Clark some good. He needs someone here to be a friend to him. God knows he hasn't had many of them in the past."

Jonathan sighed, but nodded. He ran his hand over his temple and thought about how right his wife was. It would be unfair to deny Clark the normality of being a child. The boy had been through enough in the past few years.

"How much do you think she knows?" Jonathan whispered to his wife as she rolled her eyes. Her husband was always worrying about Clark and his unusual strength. She worried too. But, her worries had ceased in the past few years. Clark had seemed to settle down, no more occurrences had happened, and no more parents had been ranting about how their children were not safe.

"She knows nothing," Martha said. She was sure of that. "She only moved here a year ago. Clark hasn't been in any incidents in a while. No one has said anything, and no one will. Can you relax and let your son be happy?"

"I am," Jonathan replied, holding his arms out and allowing his wife to pile on the dried laundry on the other clothes line. She folded the sheets as Jonathan watched her, a small smile on his face as he did so. "I am happy for him. I just don't want him to be hurt. You know that."

"Yes," she agreed. "I know it as well as you do. Clark is a young man...he's not unattractive at all. It is only natural that he enjoys spending time with Elizabeth. She is a nice girl."

"What?" Jonathan replied, leaning closer to his wife as she laughed at his widening orbs. "You don't think that they are...well..."

"No," Martha said, a heartfelt smile on her face as she looked at him. "I think your son will be a proper gentleman and ask her out on a date. Besides, they will be leaving for college soon, won't they? Who knows what will happen then?"

"I didn't even know he liked her like that," Jonathan said.

Martha folded another sheet. "You're a man. It isn't your place to notice things like that. It is a mother's prerogative. I can tell when my boy has changed, and he changes all the time when Lizzie is around him."

"She's a nice girl," Jonathan grunted. "It is her parents that I worry about."

Jonathan recalled the day that Elizabeth had first biked over to the Kent home. She had been a polite girl, always remembering her manners when she had stayed for dinner that night. Martha found the memory a fond one. She had asked Clark after if he fancied the girl. He had rolled his eyes and shook his head. He told his mother how she had been alone on the first day because she was new. He had offered to be kind to her.

He knew how it felt to be alone.

Ever since then she had been shunned. No one wanted to be seen with her if she was to be friends with Clark Kent. She'd heard all the stories about him, shaking her head with disbelief. She failed to believe that Clark was someone special. Some called him an alien, whilst others called him a freak.

Her reluctance to make new friends had hit her parents hard. They wondered what had happened to their popular little girl. Rumours spread quickly around the town, Pete's mother, Helen, being the one to spread them. And so, Mr and Mrs Lowe came to see Mr and Mrs Clark, wondering if the rumours had been true.

Jonathan had been the one to set them straight. Ever since that event he had only seen them in passing.

"Her parents know as much as everyone else," Martha said, her brow arched. "They know nothing, Jonathan. They heard a rumour and that was all that happened. Besides, they haven't stopped Elizabeth from seeing Clark. They can't be all that bad, can they?"

Jonathan said nothing in response to his wife, choosing to stay quiet as he thought about the question which she had just asked him. He didn't have any other chance to respond for another shriek came from the house.

"I'll take these inside," Jonathan informed his wife.

"You mean; you'll go and spy on them?" she responded.

Jonathan grunted a response and made his way to the house. He walked up the porch, spotting Elizabeth's bike on his way before he opened the door to the house. He heard the faint murmur of whispers coming from the living room as he looked into it. He could see Clark sat on the floor, his legs stretched in front of him as he had one arm draping over the seat of the sofa.

The girl sat beside him, her own legs crossed as she leaned forwards and wrote on paper which was sat on the coffee table. Clark was twirling his own pen in his fingers, clearly uninterested with working.

"What is all the commotion about?" Jonathan wondered, catching their attention and causing them to turn around and look at him. "Your mother and I were worried."

"Nothing," Clark grumbled.

"Your son insists on mocking me, Mr Kent."

"Very mature, Lizzie," Clark responded before she nudged him in the ribs.

An entertained look broke out on Jonathan's face, but he refused to smile as he arched a brow and placed the folded up laundry on the dining table in the next room.

"What has Clark done now?" he asked the girl.

"He continues to taunt me for wanting to go to college and major in Politics," Lizzie said.

"I am not mocking," Clark defended himself. "I am simply wondering if I will have to address you as President Elizabeth in the future."

She laughed again and shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ears as she went back to writing on the paper. A look of confusion broke out on Clark's face as he watched her intently. Jonathan picked up the way his son was staring at the girl, wondering why he had an odd look on his face.

"Where do you want to go, Lizzie?" Jonathan asked.

"New York," she said without a moment of hesitation. "It is where we used to live before dad had his job transferred. I'd love to go back there."

"At least you have more of an idea than our Clark does," Jonathan said. "He hasn't even begun to search for potential universities...or potential subjects to study."

"I will," Clark said; his voice a short snap. "I just haven't gotten round to it."

"Well, if you don't want to help me on the farm then you need to think of something," Jonathan urged his son.

It had hurt when Clark had said that he didn't want to help his father on the farm. The farm had been in his family for a long time, and for Clark to say that he didn't want to work on it...well...it had hurt Jonathan. Martha had assured her husband that he may change his mind, but he was his own person. Clark had to live the life which he wanted to live, not the one which they wanted him to. And if that meant going away to college, then so be it.

"I will think of something," Clark promised Jonathan. "I just don't know what yet."

"What are you two arguing about?" Martha's voice entered the house. "Honestly, I can hear you snapping from a mile away. Poor Elizabeth won't know what she's come to."

"Elizabeth technically started it," Clark informed his mother.

"Did not," Elizabeth replied. "Besides, if you did your work then we wouldn't be having this debate in the first place."

"Honestly," Martha drawled, dropping her hands to her hips as she looked at the two teenagers. "Anyway, enough arguing. Lizzie, do you want to stay for your dinner tonight?"

"I would love to, Mrs Kent," Elizabeth said, "but my parents want me to go out with them tonight. There is some kind of business deal and I have to go...anyway...I really should be going."

Clark stood alongside her with haste, watching as she tidied her books into her satchel and draped it over her shoulder.

"Well you have a fun night," Martha said. "We will see you again soon."

"No doubt, Mrs Kent," Elizabeth smiled as Clark handed her the jacket she had been wearing. She draped it over her shoulder and smiled at his parents. "Have a good night, Mr and Mrs Kent."

"Goodnight, Lizzie," Mrs Kent said as Jonathan repeated her words.

"I'll walk you out," Clark said, catching his mother's knowing gaze as he glared at her.

Clark held the doors open for her as they came into the warm evening air. She placed a hand on her forehead, squinting as she looked in the direction of the sun and Clark followed her gaze.

"It's certainly going to be a lovely evening," she observed.

"Most of them are," Clark spoke back.

He watched as she placed her satchel into the basket on the front of her bike and laid her jacket on top of it. Clark pulled the bike from its resting place on the wall and walked it down the steps to the garden path.

"You need to make sure you get your history homework done, Clark," Lizzie berated him as he chuckled. His hands remained wrapped around her bike handles as he pushed it down the path and she ambled lazily at his side. He looked up to the sun as she did the same.

"I'll do it before class tomorrow," he said, "unless you want to leave me the answers here."

"And let you copy?" she checked. "Clark Kent, do you take me for some kind of cheat?"

"I'd be the one cheating," Clark reminded her.

"And I'd be allowing you to cheat," she reminded him. "I think it is for the best that I keep your moral compass on the straight."

"How decent of you," Clark said, his voice filled with sarcasm.

Elizabeth went to nudge him in the ribs again, only to laugh when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist to stop her and turn her under his hold. She laughed against him as he kept his arm around her chest, her hands wrapped around his shirt covered arm.

"You shouldn't start fights with those who are bigger than you," Clark warned her as they continued to walk down the path. He managed to push her bike with one hand, no effort required as she stayed against him.

"Ah, but intellect always outweighs strength."

"I don't see how when you're trapped," Clark spoke back to her.

Before he knew what she was doing, he felt her tickling his sides and he jumped back, releasing her from his grasp as he dropped her bike to the floor out of shock. She doubled over in laughter at his expression, a snort escaping her as she did so.

Clark rolled his eyes, his own grin forming as he did so.

"You do know that snorting is most unladylike?" he checked with her.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"And that's immature," he concluded.

"I told you, intellect always wins in the end."

"One day, you will be proven wrong," Clark promised her, bending down to pick her bike back up. She shook her head and pushed her blonde hair behind her ear. He watched her pull down the shorts to her dungarees and rolled up the sleeves to the white shirt she wore underneath it.

"I look forward to the day," she promised him, taking her bike from his grip as she climbed onto it. She turned her head to the side, looking at him as he stared back at her.

"You look forward to the day you're proven wrong?" Clark checked with her. "I doubt that."

"I look forward to it because it will never come," she assured him, moving a hand out to ruffle his hair. "And you will never be the one to prove me wrong."

"Never say never," he warned her. "Anyway, you should be going. You have a dinner party to attend. I doubt your parents would appreciate you turning up dressed like that."

"You wound me," Elizabeth said, her hand over her heat in mocking. "I consider this outfit to be rather fabulous."

"Do you?" Clark said. "In that case, you will surely be the brightest looking thing in the room."

"And don't you forget it," Elizabeth said, a smirk still on her face as she began to peddle away from Clark. He pushed his hands into his jeans pockets, watching as she rode off down the dirt road. "And do your history homework!" she yelled back to him.

He chuckled to the ground before turning on his heel and walking back to his house. He could make out the outline of his mother in the window before she disappeared and he rolled his eyes. He walked back in, about to ask what there was for dinner that night, but he failed to even get a word out as his mother pounced.

"Have you asked to court her yet?"

"Martha," Jonathan complained to his wife.

"What?" she wondered. "It is a big thing, Jonathan. Do you remember when you asked me on our first date?"

"I don't fancy her," Clark said before his father could say anything.

Clark sat back down on the sofa, reaching for his open history textbook as he began to read it, hoping that it would help him complete his homework in for the following day. If only she had given him her notes.

Jonathan wandered off outside again, wondering if he had any work to do to spare him from the painful conversation which was about to occur inside his house. Martha sat down beside Clark, leaning forwards and clasping her hands together as she watched her son.

"Why don't you just tell her?"

"Because I don't like her like that," Clark said. "She's just a friend...anything else would be weird."

"Clark," Martha spoke, her brow arched towards her son as he finally looked at his mother. He had never been able to lie to her. She could see through him with everything that he did. It was a skill which she possessed, he was sure of it.

"It doesn't matter," Clark said. "She's going back to New York for college...and I'm...well...I'm not normal. I don't want to go to college or work on the farm. I want to know who I am. Besides, Lizzie is leaving soon. She's too good for me anyway."

"Clark Kent," Martha snapped, picking up her son's hand as she looked at him. "No one is too good for you. You know that. Elizabeth is a nice girl who accepts you."

"She doesn't know me," Clark reminded his mother. "How can she accept me?"

"Well, she would accept you. I am sure of it. Now, stop putting yourself down all the time. Besides, college isn't the end of the world. A lot of people stay together through college."

"It doesn't matter," Clark promised his mother. "She's not interested in me."

"Men," Martha rolled her eyes and stood up. "You must be blind if you think that. Why do you think she comes over here so much?"

"Because she's alone," Clark said. "Like me."

"Oh, Clark," Martha sighed, ruffling his hair. "How naive you are at seventeen."

"I am not naive," Clark denied to his mother.

"When it comes to girls you are," Martha responded. "Now do your homework before we eat. I would hate for Lizzie to berate you like last time."

Clark watched his mother walk into the kitchen before he rolled his eyes and scanned his textbook, wondering if his mother could possibly have been right.

...

A/N: So, this is my first Superman fic after watching Man of Steel. Anyway reviews are welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Ever since the incident with the bus, Clark had refused to use public transport to get to school. He often biked in, or his father would sometimes take him. He preferred it when the summer was long. It wasn't so much fun in the rain, but he had managed to get used to it. The fresh air did him some good before he entered the purgatory which was known as school.

He took a deep breath and moved his rucksack further onto his shoulder before he parked his bike in the bike stand, looking down the rows to see Elizabeth stood there and doing the same thing. She didn't look up for a few moments as she struggled with her bike lock and juggling her satchel.

"You know he's a freak, don't you?"

Clark recognised the voice and winced inwardly. He looked across the rows to Elizabeth who was still bent over her bike.

"I know that you'll look like a freak if you don't get away from me," Lizzie responded before standing tall, dropping her hands to her hips as she glared at Whitney Fordman. "It would give me nothing more than pleasure to rearrange your face."

"Baby," Whitney laughed once, "you wound me." He held his hand over his heart to show his mocking. Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she saw him.

"Go away, Whitney," she demanded. "Don't you have fourteen year olds to pick on?"

"I'd much rather spend my time here with you," he assured her. "Besides, I am only trying to warn you of Clark Kent. He isn't right for you."

"There is nothing wrong with Clark," she defended him.

"You're new. You wouldn't know anything. Here I am, trying to protect you, and you throw it in my face. Honestly, Lizzie, you could so much better than Kent."

"Could I?" she wondered from him. "I suppose you are referring to yourself."

"Hey, it isn't every day a boy like me offers a swot like you such an opportunity," he assured her.

Clark felt his fingers inwardly curl around the metal which held his bike in place. He couldn't go over there just yet. He was too angry, and everyone knew what happened when Clark was angry. He watched on for a few moments, knowing full well that Lizzie could handle herself. The moment he made a move would be the moment Clark would move.

"Honestly, I have never felt so honoured," Elizabeth promised him. "I can only imagine how this offer is a once in a lifetime thing...unfortunately...I think I would rather die alone than be seen with you."

"You'll regret that," Whitney promised her, stepping closer to her. She jutted her chin out, refusing to back away from him as Clark finally made his move from his hiding spot.

Whitney noticed the hulking figure behind Elizabeth's back and instantly stepped back a space. She looked behind her to see Clark stood there, his glare fixed on Whitney.

"Is there something wrong?" Clark asked.

"You mean apart from you?" Whitney wondered.

Clark took another step forward, wanting to do nothing more than scare him. He knew that he couldn't lay a finger on Whitney. He couldn't do anything to give people room to doubt him even more. That had happened enough so far. Elizabeth was quicker than Whitney, placing her hand on Clark's chest to stop him from doing anything brash.

Clark looked down at the contact of her palm against his plain black shirt as she looked up to him.

"Don't," she urged him. "He's not worth anyone's time."

"You'll come to regret it one day," Whitney assured her. "You'll see that."

"Get out of here," Elizabeth demanded him. "We have better things to do with our time."

"You'll regret it, Lizzie," Whitney promised her.

She rolled her eyes and turned on her heel, her hand wrapping around Clark's arm as she dragged him away from Whitney. Clark took another final moment to glare at him before walking beside Lizzie. She dropped her hand from his arm and adjusted her satchel on her shoulder.

"He's persistent," Clark grumbled down to her. "I don't think he's ever been rejected by a girl."

"There is a first time for everything," Lizzie responded nonchalantly. "Besides, he shouldn't be so cruel, should he? Everyone knows he is a bully, but they don't do anything about it. He's not worth anyone's time."

Clark allowed a small smile to grace his features. "Don't let Whitney hear you speak like that."

"I don't care what he hears," she replied. "Besides, I had him covered before you suddenly appeared."

"I don't trust him," Clark replied. "I don't like the way he looks at you. It isn't right or nice."

"I suppose I am lucky that I have you to thank for saving me then," she teased him, bumping her shoulder into his upper arm as she laughed. He looked down at her and smiled before they heard the bell ring.

"What class do you have first?" he asked her.

"Biology," she complained. "I don't see any use in it whatsoever. What do you have?"

"Math," Clark spoke. "So...I will see you in History."

"Did you do your homework?" she wondered before entering the corridors and moving past all the lockers. Students flocked to get to class in time before a berating was handed to them by the professors. Clark took a moment to move into his rucksack and pull out the crumpled paper.

"Clark, you could put it in a file. It looks more presentable."

"Believe me, appearance will not matter as soon as Mrs Murphy reads this," he assured her. "I told you that you should have left me your work."

"And how will you pass exams then?" she wondered. "Anyway, go to lesson and I will meet you later."

"Try to keep the microscope intact this time," Clark called out to her as she backed away down the corridor. She tossed her head over her shoulder to look at him and grinned whilst rolling her eyes.

Clark stifled a laugh as he watched her almost walk into the water fountain. He ran a hand through his hair and made his way for his own class, counting down the minutes until the school day would finish.

...

"Clark!"

Martha shouted her son's name as soon as she saw the forecast on the television. Clark looked up to the porch where his mother stood, her gaze set on him and Lizzie as she watched the sun slowly disappear behind clouds. The two of them had returned from school together to the Clark residence. Lizzie had told Clark how she didn't want to particularly go home for a while due to her parents being out and she hated staying at home alone.

They were always working, Clark knew that much. They barely had time for Lizzie.

"What?" Clark wondered from his mother.

"You two need to get in here. We're about to get the tail end of a hurricane from the coast. You need to get inside."

"Fine," Clark said. Weather like thunderstorms and tornados were a regular occurrence in Kansas. He pushed himself to stand up whilst Elizabeth did the same, her hands wiping her dress to make sure she hadn't dirtied it.

"I saw about the hurricane on the news last night," she informed Clark as Hank barked around the pair of them. "It's hit pretty bad. I suppose we're lucky we just get the end of it."

"I suppose," Clark said. "I wonder how long this one will last."

"I don't know," Lizzie replied. "Do you think I have a chance to get home before it hits? I didn't think it would be that bad seeing as how it was dying down yesterday. As soon as its water source is cut then hurricanes become weak."

"You pay far too much attention in Geography."

"And you pay far too little," she retorted and looked to the sky as she stood by the door to his house, her gaze focused on the clouds above her.

"No," Clark said in answer to her earlier question. "You're not biking home in this. Phone your parents before we lose electricity."

"Fine," Elizabeth agreed weakly as a large gust of wind blew through the pair of them. Clark held the door open for her and she walked into the residence, noticing Mrs Kent securing the windows as her husband did the same.

"Mom," Clark called out, "can Lizzie borrow the phone to let her parents know she isn't going home tonight?"

"Of course," Martha replied. "Odd weather this is. I didn't think we would have this hit us. I'd hoped it would die down before Smallville received it."

"When it comes to the weather then we should be prepared for anything," Jonathan replied to his wife. "Hopefully we won't lose the electric this time."

"You know as well as I do that those cables aren't secure out there, Jonathan," Martha said.

Clark rolled his eyes and walked Elizabeth into the kitchen and motioned to the phone. She picked it up, the sound of Martha and Jonathan's bickering entering her ears as she held the phone close to her. She twirled the cord around her finger as Clark grabbed the milk carton from the fridge and drained it.

"Mom," Lizzie said after the fourth ring. "No, everything is fine...yes, I've seen the hurricane...no, we didn't think it would hit either...anyway...I'm staying at Clark's house tonight...no, tell dad that I will be fine. I don't want him out in this weather...yes...I'm sure...okay...I'll call you tomorrow...fine...I love you, too."

"What did she say?" Clark asked as soon as she had secured the phone against the wall.

"The usual," Lizzie said, not bothering to go into detail. "Anyway, at least school will be cancelled tomorrow."

Clark grinned. "There's always a plus side to these storms."

She rolled her eyes before following him back into the living room. Jonathan and Martha made sure all the shutters had been shut and the house was bathed in darkness until they turned all the lights on. Elizabeth looked around for a few moments, wondering if she would ever get used to the weather which Kansas suffered. She knew New York could be unpredictable, but never as much as Kansas.

She kept quiet as she sat on the sofa beside Clark. He had picked the remote for the television up and had begun to flip through channels.

"We still have work to do," Lizzie reminded him before she heard the first flurry of rain hit against the house. The wind continued to roar outside as she felt her heartbeat rise.

Clark looked across to her, seeing how her eyes were set on the closed window. He knew she was scared, he could see it etched across her face.

"There's nothing to be scared of."

"I'm not scared."

"You're also a terrible liar," Clark said back to her. "Honestly, I've lived here all my life. There is nothing to be scared of. I promise you."

"I guess," she agreed limply, running her hands up and down her bare arms. Clark saw how goose pimples had begun to prickle on her skin and he grabbed the blanket which sat on the other chair. He passed it to her and she smiled at him in gratitude.

"Anyway, we can't study when you're in such a state."

"You could study," she replied to him.

"Could being the operative word," Clark spoke and watched the weather channel for a few moments. Elizabeth joined in, leaving her textbooks in her satchel which sat by the door. She kept her arms hooked around her legs as the blanket remained firmly over her body.

A flash of lightning struck before thunder boomed out around them. She winced inwardly as Clark remained calm and collected.

"God, this is some terrible weather," Martha complained, moving out from the kitchen and to the living room. "Are you okay, Lizzie? You're as pale as a ghost."

"I'm fine," she assured her. "I'm just not too used to thunderstorms."

"There's nothing to worry about, sweetie," Martha assured her. "We still have electricity and I've got some leftover lasagne to warm up for dinner. You two can come and set the table."

Clark jumped up from the sofa as Martha wandered back to the kitchen. Lizzie stood up too and followed Clark, leaving the blanket on the sofa as he handed her cutlery to lay out. He set about filling a jug of water as Jonathan grabbed a flashlight from the drawer by the sink, just in case the power did go out.

Elizabeth sat beside Clark at the small table for four. Martha was the one who made the most conversation, Clark and Jonathan seemed too intent on filling their faces, and Lizzie was picking at her food slowly.

"You haven't finished your food," Martha pointed out. "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Lizzie? I thought lasagne was your favourite?"

"It is, Mrs Kent," she assured her. "I'm just not too hungry tonight."

"I'll finish it off, mom," Clark replied, swapping his plate for Lizzie's. The young girl rolled her eyes.

"Do you ever stop grazing?" she asked Clark.

"I'm a boy," He replied. "It is what we do."

Lizzie supposed she had no comeback to that response. She helped Mrs Kent to wash the dishes whilst Clark put the cutlery away once Lizzie had dried it off.

"I'll grab you a duvet and pillows," Martha said once she had emptied the dishwater. "You can sleep on the sofa tonight...the pull out bed should still be in good condition. Jonathan will pull it out."

"Thank you, Mrs Kent," Lizzie said as the woman rushed off and she and Clark continued to dry the dishes. Clark watched her for a few moments as she tried to control her breathing as another rumble of thunder struck. He said nothing, taking the things she handed him before putting them away.

Before he knew it the clock had struck ten and Martha was informing them that it was bed time. She had made up the sofa bed for Lizzie, covering it in blankets and duvets. The young woman had smiled in gratitude after being bid goodnight by the entire family.

Clark ruffled her hair ruefully as she slapped him away from her and he grinned as he moved up the stairs. Lizzie kicked off her flat pumps and dragged a bobble from her satchel, trying her hair from her face as she looked around the eerily quiet living space.

She turned off most of the lights, apart from the lamp which sat beside the sofa. She had to admit that the sofa bed was quite comfortable. She hadn't been expecting it to be so nice. She pulled the duvet up to her chin and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

But sleep didn't come to her. She groaned and grabbed her textbook from her bag, flicking through it until the room was suddenly bathed in darkness. She jumped back at the sudden shock of a lack of light, but said nothing, choosing to keep herself quiet and calm. There was no electric. She dropped the book to the floor beside her and tried to let unconsciousness find her.

...

Clark looked around his dark room, unable to see anything clearly. He had heard Lizzie downstairs with thanks to his super hearing. She had finally settled down, but he doubted she could sleep. The storm was loud against his window, the shutters unable to block out any of the noise. He could only imagine how Elizabeth was faring.

He picked himself out of bed and walked down the stairs, keeping as quiet as possible so that he didn't disturb anyone. He could make out the outline of the sofa as he walked towards it.

"Lizzie," he whispered her name.

She shrieked loudly, the verge of sleep had just come to her until Clark had whispered her name. Clark moved quickly then, sitting on the edge of the bed as she sat up and moved her hands out.

"It's me," Clark said. "Jesus, Lizzie, calm down."

"It's a bit hard to do that when you try to scare me to death," she snapped at him, her voice harsh as his hands caught her flailing wrists. She relaxed in his grip, just about able to make out his outline.

"I thought you would be awake anyway," Clark told her.

"I am," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would come and see how you are," Clark said. "And don't say that you're fine. You're a terrible liar."

"No, I'm not fine," she whispered, sitting up and pulling the duvet with her. She leant her back against the cushions before moving up to allow Clark a bit more room. "I can hear it...and...well...you study Geography. You know what hurricanes can do."

"Only when you're in the middle of one," Clark said to her. "You're pretty safe here, Lizzie. You know that."

"I know. I just have an overactive brain."

"Just try to calm down," Clark urged her. "Look...try and sleep..."

She watched as he stood up, her brows furrowing as she watched him.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to bed," Clark said.

She bit down on her lip for a moment. If only he could visibly see what a wreck she was. He would laugh at her. She would laugh at herself if she wasn't so terrified.

"Can you not stay for a while?" she wondered. "It's just...well..."

"I'll stay," Clark assured her, stopping her from making some kind of feeble excuse as to why she wanted him to be with her. She forced herself to smile and she moved up more, allowing Clark to sit beside her on the bed. He remained on top of the duvet as he listened to the thunder strike again.

He closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to find him as Lizzie lay with her back facing him. He listened intently, noticing how her breathing had calmed down and she was finally managing to fall to sleep. He said nothing as she turned to face him and he moved his fingers, tentatively reaching out to brush some hair from her face. She didn't wake, nor did she stir as the bobble she wore fell from her hair.

Clark remained sat up, Lizzie's soft snores eventually causing him to sleep.

...

A/N: Thank you to Smartlooks (sorry about the blonde thing!), Carlypso, SuzanofSouthern and yruniwylio for reviewing. A lot of follows too! Thanks guys! Please do let me know what you think! I have so many idea as to where I am going to take this story.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth awoke early in the morning, the house still covered in darkness with thanks to the closed shutters and drawn curtains. The only way she knew it was morning was because she awoke to see Hank sat by the floor of the bed with Clark next to him. He stroked the dog, urging him to remain quiet after he had fed him breakfast.

"How did you sleep?" Clark wondered from her as she rolled onto her side to face him, one hand stuffed under her pillow as she looked at the pair of them together.

"Quite well in the end," she assured him.

He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up before yawning. He was still dressed in his pyjamas; his back leant against the sofa bed.

"How about you?" she wondered.

"Well, the sofa bed isn't quite as comfy as my own bed upstairs," Clark said, turning his head over his shoulder to grin back at her. She rolled her eyes and snuggled deeper into the pillows and duvet. The warmth and comfort of the bed almost made her forget about the roars of wind from the outside world.

"Sorry about that," Lizzie replied. "I shouldn't have been so pathetic."

"It's fine, Liz," Clark promised her. "It doesn't matter to me. We still have no electric, but dad came down last night and said he would see if he could get the power back from the basement. If not then we have to sit it out."

"Mom will be going mad with worry," Lizzie complained, flopping onto her back. "She already suspects something is going on between us."

"What?" Clark snapped out, his cheeks turning red as Lizzie nodded. She had her hands under her head as her eyes remained focused on the ceiling. Clark continued his petting of Hank, feeling how his cheeks warmed up and his pulse raced. Why did this happen to him? Why could he not lie to her so easily? He didn't know. He was simply thankful that she wasn't looking at him at that moment in time.

"It is pretty obvious, Clark," Elizabeth spoke. "We spend all of our time together...mainly over here...we're both teenagers. It is the natural thing to think."

"Really?" Clark replied to her. "I don't see it like that."

A small smirk formed on Elizabeth's lips as she rolled her head to the side to look at Clark. He was nervous, she could see that. He always was when she brought up the idea of dating. There had only been one time when someone had asked her on a date and she had turned them down. Clark had told her that it had been for the best. Apparently Richard Brandon was not appropriate for her.

"I suppose not," Lizzie said. "We've been friends for a long time now. It's the only reason why we are so close. Besides, I assume you'd never go for someone like me."

"What do you mean?" Clark wondered; his gaze narrowed as he heard her breath speed up. He ran his hands over Hank's fur, soothing the dog as he rested his head in Clark's lap.

"I'm too nerdy for you, Clark," she said. "I'm the one who keeps you working. Besides, I'm hardly attractive, am I?"

"Why do you say that?" Clark wondered, still not looking at her.

"I am covered in spots, too thin and have a massive nose," she spoke, reeling off her faults. "I have no shape, and I have no social life."

"You're an...acquired taste," Clark said to her. She said nothing, moving away from the comfort of her duvet and hitting Clark around the head. She squealed loudly as he grabbed her wrist and stood up before sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her other wrist before she could hit him again. Elizabeth laughed heartedly, the sound making Clark chuckle as she leant against him, her head resting on his shoulder as he released her.

"I suppose an acquired taste is still a taste," Lizzie reasoned and leant back against the cushions. Clark followed suit, allowing her to rest against his side without complaint. "Where do you think we will be in ten years time?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth said. "I'm just trying to make conversation, Clark. You know; the social being that I am."

"How could I forget?" he taunted her. "I honestly don't know, Lizzie. Where do you think you will be?"

"Maybe the Daily Planet," she dreamed. "The Metropolis is in NYC. I'd love to go back there. The hustle and bustle of the city...I could be a correspondent from Washington DC to make sure I'm involved in the politics."

"You dream big," he replied to her and she shrugged.

"It's just a dream, Clark," she replied, leaning her head on his shoulder in a comfier position. "I doubt it will happen in real life. I'd be happy to work in a small paper...or maybe the White House!"

"I really can imagine you as a President," he smirked. "You'd be the first female President. You could make a speech of how I was the one who inspired you to inspire others...all because I never did my History homework."

"How entertaining," Lizzie said with a sly smile on her face.

"I'm nothing if not entertaining," Clark spoke gently to her. "Besides, I have no idea what I want to do. I don't want to work on the farm, and I have no idea what I would study at college. I don't even have the grades to get in."

"You could do if you stopped flunking," Lizzie pointed out to him. "You're hardly stupid, Clark. Besides, what are you the best at?"

"Sport," Clark told her honestly. It wasn't a lie. Clark always did well in sports. He supposed it was down to his impeccable strength and speed. The only issue was not taking it too far. If he was too powerful then the murmurs would begin again. Clark didn't mind be shunned from everyone else, but he didn't like it when they talked about him.

"You are scarily good at sport," Lizzie commented and moved her head from his shoulder. "I don't know, Clark. It is your decision at the end of the day...but...well...I will miss you when we do move on. You know that, right?"

Clark said nothing for a moment, wondering what he should say to her.

"I know," he finally said back. "I'll miss you too."

"But it isn't like we'll never see each other again, is it?" Lizzie checked, glad that the darkness was hiding the panicked expression which she wore on her face. "I mean, you'll be here for Christmas, I'll be here for Christmas. Smallville is home, regardless of anything."

"That's true," Clark replied. "Besides, we need to get through the next school year. You have until then to put up with me."

"I know," Lizzie smirked, looking down to her lap sadly. "And then there is always the summer next year. That should be good."

"Of course," Clark agreed.

A momentary silence lapsed over them after a moment.

"Why are we being so depressing?" Lizzie suddenly wondered. "Honestly, I feel as though I've just been told that the storm is going to last forever."

"Hey, you were the one who thought about the future," Clark reminded her. "It wasn't me. I fail to care about any of that at the moment."

"Jonathan, can you hurry up with the flashlight? I can hardly see anything!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of Martha and Jonathan trudging down the stairs in the darkness, attempting not to fall over them. Lizzie laughed silently for a second as Jonathan grunted back to his wife;

"I'm trying to find the on button."

"Can you try a little faster?" Martha wondered from him. "Well, it's too late now; I'm at the bottom of the stairs."

Clark stood up from the sofa bed as Lizzie remained sat on it, her head turned to look behind her as light finally entered the room. The flashlight wasn't that bright, but it was blinding when Jonathan flashed it in Clark's face.

"Don't point it directly at him," Martha scolded her husband, before looking at Clark and Lizzie. "And how are you two this morning?"

"Fine," Clark grunted.

"Good, Mrs Kent," Lizzie replied.

"Well, the good news is that the storm should have finished by this afternoon." Jonathan told them. "The wind has slowed down and so has the rain. I looked outside the window and it should be safe later on."

"He looked out the window and was almost swept away," Martha informed the teenagers. Clark rolled his eyes, Lizzie continued to smile. "Anyway, I was on the way to make breakfast. I think we have some bagels...or some cereal...come on, you two. You must be starving."

Clark spent the rest of the morning helping his father to fix the electrics in the basement whilst Lizzie helped Martha around the house. The electrics finally came on and Lizzie finally heard the wind and rain stop in its movements.

Jonathan was the one to step out of the house first, daring to put himself in place of the light wind. He looked relieved as he realised that the conditions had died down. The electric came back on, allowing Martha to check the weather which told them that they had the all clear.

"Well, they normally last longer than that," Martha spoke as Clark and Lizzie tidied the sofa bed away. "I suppose we really did get away lightly."

"I should probably be going home," Lizzie declared as she folded the duvet with Clark.

"Are you intending to bike?" Martha asked, still slightly worried that the storm hadn't passed.

"Yeah," Lizzie replied. "Don't worry, Mrs Kent, I will be perfectly safe. It's only a bit of light wind now."

"I don't like it," Martha said. "I will have Jonathan drive you back home. He can put your bike in the truck."

"Honestly, Mrs Kent, I-"

"-It really isn't up for negotiation, Lizzie," Martha smiled. "Clark will put your bike in the back and I will find that husband of mine."

Clark led Lizzie outside to the porch. She held her satchel on her shoulder before stepping down the steps of the porch. She froze for a moment as she noted the large puddles which sat on the dirt covered ground. She looked down to her feet which contained her flat pumps. She'd surely get them ruined. Clark turned around as he heard her stop.

He chuckled, noticing her current dilemma.

"You need more sensible shoes," he informed her.

"Shut up," she complained. "When I came over yesterday I didn't expect torrential weather, did I?"

"I suppose not," Clark commented and moved back to her. "Come here, I'll give you a piggyback."

"Seriously?" she checked, her brow arched as she did so. "Are we not a little too old for that?"

"Do you want to get dirty?" Clark wondered, stepping into the puddle with a thud. She complained as some spray hit her bare legs, just missing the white dress which she wore. Clark stifled a laugh as he turned his back to face her.

"I can't believe you're giving me a piggyback," she muttered, wrapping her hands around his shoulders as she moved up a step. She took a moment before she jumped and Clark caught her thighs in his hands. She laughed loudly as Clark felt his hands rub against her bare thighs where her dress should have been. The material had ridden up and Clark was only too aware of her pressed tightly against his back.

Elizabeth seemed to realise their current predicament as she felt Clark's hands against her skin. The pair of them kept quiet until Clark set her down by the trunk of the truck, his hands sliding down her thighs as he set her down. Little did he know, his hands travelled right over her bottom, pushing her dress further up to her waist.

"Sorry," Clark spoke to her as he turned around and saw her fixing the straps of her dress on her shoulders.

"Don't worry about it," Lizzie said nervously. "I don't think you feeling me up has ruined our friendship."

"I was hardly feeling you-"

"-It was a joke, Clark," she promised him. "Anyway, where is my bike?"

"I think my dad put it in the shed. Just give me a moment."

Lizzie watched as Clark rushed off to the large shed. She stood by the trunk of the car which had been abandoned behind the house and near the trees which lined the shed. She remained where she was on the dry patch of mud before hearing a snapping noise coming from near her. She pulled her satchel onto her shoulder before looking up at the trees, wondering if it had been a bird of some kind.

A large gust of wind rustled the leaves of the trees as she heard another snap echoed in her ears. She looked up this time, her eyes widening as she backed away from the sight which she was greeted with. A large shriek escaped her as she fell down to the ground and pushed her body to crawl back, the falling tree advancing on her with each passing moment.

She knew that she couldn't escape it. The tree was enormous and heading straight towards her and destroying the car. She pushed herself in the dirt until the tree was metres away and she knew there was nothing she could do. She yelled again, waiting for the impact as tears rolled down her cheeks. She could feel her pulse quicken as she closed her eyes and sobbed.

But nothing came.

She peeled her eyes open again and looked upwards, the sight greeting her one which confused her more than anything. She recognised Clark's back facing her, his hands outstretched as he held the tree in his palms. He was holding the tree as if it weighed nothing. He pushed it back into the woods, the sound echoing through the forest behind him as Lizzie replayed the entire event in her mind.

Clark kept his back to her for a moment after he had discarded himself of the tree. His shoulders slumped and he took a deep breath. He knew that he had ruined everything now. He had ruined any chance he had of being with her. He twirled his head, looking over his shoulder to see Lizzie lay in the mud. Her white dress was ruined and her legs and arms were covered in brown mess. The dress had rode up to her waist again, giving Clark a good view of her pink underwear. But it wasn't her state of clothing which concerned him. No, it was her look of horror.

"Lizzie," Clark whispered after a moment.

"No," she shook her head. "You didn't...you couldn't have..."

"Liz," Clark pleaded with her. "You need to listen to me."

"Did you just stop that tree?" she asked him. "Did you stop it from hitting me?"

"Yes," Clark sighed. "Please, don't be scared of me."

Her brow furrowed as she heard him and he bent down to offer her his hand.

"I'm not scared," she whispered, not entirely convincing herself. She wasn't scared. She couldn't be scared. He was Clark. It was just Clark. He was the boy she had been best friends with for months. She was not scared of Clark. She refused to be.

"Please come back inside," he urged her. "I can explain everything."

She nodded weakly, not too sure what she should do. She wrapped her hand around Clark's hand. He pulled her up without hesitation. He walked back around the house with Lizzie by his side, her body shaking in shock. He noted his mother and father stood at the porch, their eyes wide with fear.

Apparently they had seen the entire event unfold from the window. The sound of Lizzie's screams had caught their attention, and then they had seen their son save her from the falling tree. Lizzie avoided their stares as they mumbled something about going to check on the crops with Hank.

"Why are you not screaming at me?" Clark asked her as he brought in a towel from the kitchen. He handed it to her, watching as she rubbed the mud from her skin.

"Would you prefer me to yell at you?" she asked from him. "What good would it do, Clark? I'm still in shock at what I've just seen."

"I know," Clark whispered to her. "I...honestly...I can't explain it, Lizzie. I don't know why I am what I am. I have no idea."

"You...you have super strength?" she checked. "The stories are true?"

Clark regarded her with hesitance for a moment, watching as she held the towel by her side. Why was she reacting so calmly? Why was she not calling him a freak?

"Yes," he replied. "They are true."

"How?" she wondered after a moment. "I don't understand...how can you..."

"Come with me," Clark urged her, holding his hand out to her. "Lizzie, I trust you...I know that you won't...you won't tell anyone else...I trust you more than anyone. Please, don't run from me."

Her eyes met his and she saw something there. She saw fear. She had never seen Clark look so scared before. She could do nothing but take his hand. She entwined her fingers into his, walking close by his side as he led her down to the basement. Lizzie kept quiet; her eyes wide as she finally saw what had been hidden underneath the house.

Shock came back to her face again as she looked at the pod in front of her. Clark prised her fingers from his before he stepped forwards and looked at the foreign thing which had brought him to earth.

"My parents found me in this," he whispered to her, his eyes never leaving her as she dropped the towel to the floor and placed a hand on the pod. She ran her fingers over it, wondering what it was as Clark walked around the other side of it. "I came to earth in it when I was a baby. My dad said that it isn't made of any human element. He said that it isn't from her."

A gulp ran down Lizzie's throat as she moved her hand from it and finally came to stand in front of Clark again, confusion on her face as he stepped closer to her.

"You...you're not from earth?" Lizzie whispered to him.

"Apparently not," Clark agreed.

"You're an alien?"

"Maybe," he agreed with her. "I don't know what this means, Lizzie. I don't know what I am...but...it scares me as much as it scares you..."

"I'm not scared," she replied. "I'm just confused."

"I can't tell anyone, Liz," Clark whispered to her. "If people knew then they would be scared of me. They would...people are scared of what they don't understand...and...I need to know what I am before anyone else. I couldn't tell you. I was too scared to tell you. I was scared that you would run from me. I was scared that you would hate me."

"I'd never have done that," Lizzie said to him, a tone of hurt in her voice.

"I know," Clark said. "I didn't want to take the risk, Lizzie. You're my only friend...and if I lost you...I don't know what I would do."

Any hurt which had been in Lizzie evaporated when she saw Clark's pale face. "You won't lose me."

He looked back to the ship as she stepped closer to him, her hand moving to rest on his arm. He looked down at her as she stared at him like she had never seen him again. What did she expect to happen when she touched him? Did she expect him to change skin colour? She shook her head as Clark dared to push her hair from her face.

"You don't hate me?" Clark checked.

"I could never hate you, Clark," Lizzie promised him. "I'm just in a state of shock at the moment. I thought I had died and then you stopped a tree...and now you tell me that you're not from earth. It's a bit different to your common confession."

Clark smiled gently as he rubbed some mud away from her hair.

"What else can you do?" Lizzie wondered.

"Lots," Clark mumbled, looking to the floor for a moment. "I have x-ray vision...super strength and speed...hearing..."

"That's different," Lizzie whispered. "God...I can't believe this...and you...you just saved my life."

"I know," Clark said. "Lizzie, you're looking a little pale."

She said nothing, recalling how Clark had stopped the tree. How he had held it so easily in his hands. She shook her head, still unable to believe it as she felt her head become light. She could have died. She could have been killed by a tree.

"I think it is all just coming back to me," Lizzie said. "It is a lot to take in. I imagine you fainted when you found out."

"No," Clark said. "Come on, I'll get you some water."

"Water...water is good..." Lizzie agreed with him.

She felt his arm wrap around her waist before he picked her up and held her close to him. Lizzie said nothing as he set her down in the kitchen. She kept her hands behind her, grasping onto the counter and taking deep breaths. Why was she so hysterical? She was still alive. Clark had saved her. He had made sure that she didn't die.

"Here," Clark said, handing her the glass. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

"Not really," Lizzie admitted, draining the liquid. "I almost died; you told me that you're an alien...not an average day..."

"No," Clark agreed limply. "I suppose it isn't."

He noted another smudge of mud on her forehead and used his thumb to wipe it off as she drank some of her water.

"And you're proximity isn't helping," she assured him.

Clark couldn't help but smirk at that, deciding to step back as she took a sharp breath and then smiled at him.

"So what now?"

"We pretend nothing happened," Clark told her as if it were simple. "I'm serious, Lizzie. No one can know about this. No one can know about who I am."

She bit down on her lips for a second and nodded. She could keep his secret. She would keep his secret. He deserved that much.

"I won't say anything," Lizzie promised him.

He nodded then, completely content that he had her trust.

...

A/N: Thank you to MsJML, Smartlooks, Carlypso and happy-rea for reviewing the previous chapter! thanks to all those who are now following, and I do hope you'll let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Martha came back into the house later on; the sight which greeted her was one of surprise. She didn't really know how she thought Elizabeth would handle Clark's sudden revelation to her. She initially suspected that she would be understanding, much like she and Jonathan had been. But then she had been shocked to see Lizzie's face when Clark had brought her back inside.

She had been dumbfounded, almost resentful. Martha had feared the worst. It was only when she walked into the kitchen did she realise that there was no point in being worried.

Lizzie was sat on top of the worktop with Clark beside her. She held a diet coke in her hands, draining it from the can as Clark held the milk bottle. A small smile was on her face and she wore one of Clark's old shirts, along with his pyjama bottoms. She looked an absolute mess, but she was smiling. She was sat there, smiling with Clark.

"Is everything okay?" Martha dared to ask, her hands on her hips.

"Yeah," Clark said. "I told Lizzie, mom. She knows everything."

"I see," Martha said, waiting for Lizzie to say something in response to that. But she didn't. She simply turned her eyes to the side and looked at Clark with a small smile.

"I always knew there was something odd with him," Lizzie teased and Clark rolled his eyes. He reached over to nudge her lightly as she laughed again. Martha couldn't help but smile at the sight before her. Lizzie hit Clark across the shoulder before turning her attention back to his mother;

"My dress is in the washing machine, Mrs Kent, I hope you don't mind," Lizzie said.

"Not at all, Liz," she promised her. "I'm surprised Clark knew how to work it."

"He didn't," Lizzie said. "I put it in. He stood there and looked confused."

"I do know how to work it," Clark replied. "Anyway, Lizzie phoned her mom and said that she'd be back before dinner tonight."

"No problem," Martha held her hand up as she looked at the pair of them. She couldn't help but think about what she was seeing. Elizabeth had accepted Clark. She knew everything, and she still cared for him. Perhaps there was hope for her son, if he simply opened his mouth and admitted his feelings to the girl.

"Mom, you look as though you're about to cry," Clark commented to his mother.

She waved a hand nonchalantly. "No. I'm fine...well...I should be going out to help your father tidy up...you two have fun..."

Martha turned on her heel and walked away. Clark kept a frown on his face as his brows furrowed together.

"That was strange," Lizzie was the one to comment. She drank some more of the sweet drink, allowing it to fall down her throat in large gulps. Clark heard the noise and arched a brow before looking at her. She pulled the can from her mouth and ran a hand over her lips.

"What?" she wondered.

"Could you gulp any louder?" Clark enquired from her.

"I'll have another go and we can see," she teased him, bringing the can back to her mouth. Clark used his ability to catch her wrist before the can could even make it a third of the journey. Lizzie froze in shock as he smirked at her;

"Super speed," he reminded her.

"Doesn't mean you have to show off," she replied lamely. "It will become tiresome eventually."

"Will it?" Clark wondered, placing the milk carton back in the fridge. Lizzie dropped down from the counter and placed the can into the bin before folding her arms. She looked at Clark with a wide gaze, wondering where he had come from. Who was he? Did he not want to know?

"You said that you have no idea where you came from," Lizzie commented and the washing machine finished its spin. She dragged her dress from it, placing it over the clothes horse which Martha kept by the back door.

"I don't," Clark clarified.

"Do you not want to find out?"

Clark looked at her as if she was insane.

"Of course I do," Clark replied. "I just don't know how to find out, Lizzie. What can I do? Where can I go?"

"I don't know," Lizzie admitted. She hadn't thought that far ahead. She remained in the kitchen as Clark pulled out an apple from the fruit basket. He ate it quickly as Lizzie tugged at the shirt which she wore. She bent down to grab a glass from a cupboard as Clark watched her, unashamedly staring as the gaps between the buttons on his shirt widened, giving him a nice view of her bra covered chest.

No. What was he doing? He couldn't be thinking like that. Lizzie had almost died. She didn't need him ogling her. She was his friend, nothing more. She didn't want anything more, Clark knew that much. She was determined to move away...and he was not part of her plans.

She stood up again; placing the glass underneath the tap, turning the cold water on and watching the glass fill up. She drained the water and turned back to look at him.

"Do you think you will ever know?" Lizzie asked him. "I mean, do you think anything will ever present itself? If you came from somewhere else then there has to be others like you. There has to be more of you."

"Can you imagine?" Clark wondered. "More of me."

"It fills me with dread," she joked back. "But seriously, Clark, it has to be possible."

"I suppose so," Clark spoke back. "There is nothing I can at the moment, Lizzie. I need to finish school first."

"You'll have finished school before you know it." Lizzie replied. "The rate the weeks are going, it will be Christmas again."

...

And Elizabeth Lowe was never wrong. The Christmas holiday soon came around, as did the last day of school. Clark had managed to dig his bike out from the snow once the school bell had rung. Lizzie walked out soon after, seeing that he had waited for her, leant against the seat of his bike. The snow had fallen during the afternoon again and hadn't been cleared away from the school grounds. Clark knew it was going to be a struggle to get home.

Lizzie stood beside him in her large duffel coat. She was pulling a second pair of gloves over her hands as she shook in the cold. Her teeth chattered as she looked at Clark.

"How are we going to bike home in this?" she complained to him. "I was sat in Biology during seventh period and the snow just fell."

"We'll have to walk," Clark said to her.

"It's times like these when I wish you could use you strength."

"Lizzie," Clark hissed at her and she shrugged, looking around the bike shelter.

"What? There is no one here."

"That's not the point," Clark warned her. "The point is that we are out in the open."

"Okay," she said, holding her hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry, Clark. I'll keep my big mouth shut from now on."

"Is that a promise?" Clark said; the teasing back in his tone as she rolled her eyes and undid her bike from the bike lock.

"Hey, Lizzie!"

Clark groaned and allowed his hands to ball into fists as he turned around to see Whitney striding towards them. His gaze was set firmly on Lizzie as he moved closer to her, his eyes full of mischief.

"What do you want?" Lizzie snapped. "I'm a bit busy here."

"I just wanted to make sure you saved your first dance for me tonight," he winked at her. "Besides, I am driving in tonight. The roads should be clear...and you know what they say about the backseats of cars."

Elizabeth moved to stand in front of Clark, stopping him from moving closer to Whitney. She folded her arms as she arched a brow, her own smirk forming on her lips.

"Unfortunately for you, I won't be in attendance tonight. I have better things to do than attend the Christmas Ball. I am sure some other lucky girl would love your offer...actually...if she had any sense, she would stay miles away from you."

Whitney didn't even look perplexed by her comeback to him. If anything, his smirk seemed to widen in front of them. Clark could feel his anger boiling up inside of him. His hatred for Whitney was known to most, and it was obvious why. He had a way of getting under his skin.

"You'd be singing a different tune if you got in the backseat of my car," he grinned. "I'm sure your boyfriend wouldn't mind...would you, Kent?"

"Get lost, Whitney," Lizzie was the one to snap. "I'm not interested. Not now, not ever."

"It's your loss, Lizzie," he told her. "I knew you were too attached to the freak. Don't tell me he's had you already? I never had you down for a slut."

This time Lizzie couldn't stop Clark. He brushed past her and strode towards Whitney, wrapping his hand around his shirt. Lizzie felt fear rise up inside of her as she rushed forwards, moving her hand to Clark's arm and trying to haul it back. She couldn't let him do this.

"You don't talk to her like that," Clark spoke, his eyes glaring into Whitney's. Lizzie thought that the boy was scared. She thought that he was petrified, but the smirk on his face told her otherwise. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to get a rise out of Clark. He was trying to prove that he was a freak.

"Why?" Whitney wondered. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," Lizzie said as Clark kept his hands around Whitney's collar. "You're not worth it."

"Am I not?" Whitney asked her. "You wouldn't be saying that if I was in between those legs of yours."

Clark pushed Whitney against the wall of the bike stand then, keeping him pinned there as he did his best not to hurt him too much. Lizzie shook her head and moved both of her hands onto one of Clark's arms, using all of her might to move him from Whitney. She came to no prevail, groaning as she urged for Clark to stop.

"Clark!" Elizabeth snapped. "He wants you to hit him! He wants you to beat him up...he's only doing it to provoke you."

Lizzie's words sunk in, Clark's face turning from one of anger to understanding. He dropped Whitney as if he was dirt and turned his back on him, facing Lizzie as she nodded once. Her cheeks were red and her chest was heaving at what she had just witnessed.

"Your slut's stopped you from getting into trouble." Whitney spoke.

This time Clark did react. He balled his fingers into a fist and used as little strength as possible to turn around and punch Whitney in the nose. Lizzie gasped at the sight, a small chuckle escaping her as she saw Whitney hold onto his blooded nose. She snorted once, watching as Clark backed away and took her by the hand, dragging her back to their bikes.

"That was assault!" Whitney snapped.

"Yeah," Lizzie agreed. "And if you don't shut up then you'll have a nice black eye to go with the bloody nose."

Whitney scampered off, knowing full well that his plan hadn't worked. He could have punched better than Kent. He'd been holding back, Whitney knew that much. He hobbled off, his hand covering his nose as Clark ripped his bike from its stand, tearing the lock off completely and destroying the metal the bike had been attached to.

"Whoa!" Lizzie snapped at him, looking around. "What happened to keeping the alien thing a secret?"

"He's pissed me off."

Lizzie's eyes widened as she heard Clark swear. Clark rarely swore, unless he was really peeved off. She moved closer to him as he leant his hands on the handlebars of the bike, his head hunched over as he took a deep breath.

"He's really not worth it, Clark." Lizzie assured him. "I don't care what Whitney says. His opinion is irrelevant to everyone."

"He shouldn't have said those things," Clark said. "I really don't trust him, Lizzie."

"He'll never come good on his threats," Lizzie shook her head. "That's why they're just threats. He only does it to get a rise out of you, and it worked this time. You can't let it happen again, Clark."

"I know," Clark sighed in agreement.

"Besides," Lizzie said, standing tall again and punching Clark around the shoulder. "You standing up for my honour was quite cute...like some kind of film or something."

Clark said nothing in response to her as she pulled her bike out the snow.

"Apart from the fact I can completely handle myself and all that." She shrugged back at him, winking softly before dragging her bike out of the snow. She picked it up, looking for any sign of clear pathway in the distance.

"Whatever," Clark replied. "He deserved what he got; regardless of if you can handle yourself."

"If you say so," Lizzie spoke and continued to fall about in the snow. Clark walked beside her, watching as she slipped about.

"Do you need help?" Clark wondered.

"I thought you didn't want to use your powers?" she wondered from him.

He shrugged. "I can push both bikes, Lizzie. It doesn't take strength to do that."

"If you insist."

"Besides, you need to focus on one task," Clark smirked, "Making sure you can stand up."

She watched on as Clark held one handle of her bike and the other handle of his own. She juggled her satchel on her shoulder, focusing on the snow to make sure she didn't slip over.

"Do you want to stay for dinner tonight?" Lizzie asked Clark. "My parents aren't going to be gone for the next day. They've travelled to some business meeting and left me alone. Apparently eighteen is old enough to stay home alone."

"You've only just turned eighteen," Clark reminded her. "Don't tell me you're still scared of being home alone?"

She bit down on her bottom lip, pushing her gloved hands into her pockets. "Maybe. Besides, being eighteen doesn't mean you feel any different to being seventeen. I haven't matured, have I?"

"Definitely not," Clark agreed with that analysis.

"Anyway, you're just jealous that I'm older than you."

"Why would I be jealous?" Clark wondered as they stepped onto the main road. He stood still as she took her bike from him, looking at the cleared sidewalk as the snow plough moved down the street. "You're going to be wrinkly before me."

"Don't be mean," Lizzie warned him, walking with her bike as Clark chuckled.

"So what are you going to cook for dinner?" Clark asked her. "You should know that I have quite the appetite."

"Do you think that is anything to do with your powers?" Lizzie asked him. "I mean, you never get full, do you?"

"I think that's just because I am a growing boy," he replied. "You're not bothered about not going to this dance tonight, are you?"

Yes. She wanted to say how she was completely bothered by it. She didn't want to admit it to him. Clark had been adamant about not going. He had protested about staying at home and keeping his distance. The thought of wearing a tuxedo had filled him with dread. Lizzie had limply agreed. She would have no one to go with if Clark didn't go.

"No," Lizzie muttered, looking to the ground as they continued to walk.

Clark picked up on her lie in a moment.

"Lizzie," he groaned. She knew he had caught her out.

"What?" she replied. "You were so adamant about not going. I was hardly going to turn up by myself, was I?"

"You should have said something," Clark responded. "I'd have...well...maybe..."

"You wouldn't have gone," Lizzie shook her head. "I know you, Clark Kent, you would have hated it."

"And now I feel guilty," Clark complained to her.

"No," she shook her head as they rounded the corner to her house. "You don't have to feel guilty. It really doesn't matter, Clark. I'll be just as content sat inside with a Chinese takeaway."

"I thought you were cooking?" Clark said; a small amount of teasing in his tone.

She shook her head and snorted. "Mom and dad left me money. Why would I cook when I don't have to?"

"Good point."

The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence for the rest of the journey home. They dumped their bikes in Lizzie's backyard before entering the house, shedding their winter gear at the door. Clark watched Lizzie move around her small kitchen, pulling out two diet cokes and handing him one.

"At least Winter break is here," she said.

Clark looked around her kitchen with intrigue. He rarely came into her house, her parents preferring for him not to be near their little girl. Lizzie normally spent most of her time at his house, and so spending time at her house was a rarity. It was modern with all the latest gadgets, but it seemed cold. There were only a few family photos, most of them with Lizzie being a small child.

"Come on," Lizzie said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "We'll go and watch TV for a while before ordering the food."

Clark obediently followed her into her living room, sitting beside her on the sofa as he finished off his drink. He placed the empty can on the coffee table as Lizzie curled into the corner. Clark looked at her from the corner of his eye as she reached for the remote.

"Don't you want to revise tonight?"

"Very droll," she drawled. "It is the holidays, Clark. I can have one night off, can't I?"

"I suppose so," Clark said.

"Well, thank you for your permission," she replied with a smug look. She flipped channels, wondering what she could do to pass the time.

"I'll make you a deal," Clark suddenly blurted out to her. She turned her head to look at him, her brow arched on her forehead. "Seeing as how you're missing out on tonight-"

"-I told you-"

"-You lied to me," Clark interrupted. "You are bothered, Lizzie. Anyway, can you keep your mouth shut for one minute?"

She pushed her lips together, feeling them quirk upwards whilst Clark entwined his fingers.

"I'll take you to the prom after graduation."

Elizabeth could have sworn she felt her blood begin to race. Her mouth dropped open as Clark looked at her with hesitance. Why hadn't she agreed with him? Why hadn't she jumped at the opportunity? He thought he was being nice.

"You're serious?" she checked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"You have to wear a tux."

"I know."

"You have to dance."

"I'll stand on your feet, but I know."

"You'll have to listen to me all night?"

"I do that on a regular basis," Clark said with a smirk. "I think I can stand one more night. Besides, after prom you're intending on becoming the first female President. I might not see you for a while."

"Then I agree, but only if you're serious," Lizzie warned him.

He snorted once. "Of course I am serious. I wouldn't have mentioned it if I wasn't."

"Then I agree," Lizzie spoke with a nod and a smile. She moved over the nudge him on the shoulder, resting against his side as she spoke. "I'll even buy you dinner to prove how much it means."

"So, you're going to spend...what? Ten dollars?" Clark checked. "Ten dollars to put me through an evening of hell."

"Hey, you agreed to it," she reminded him simply. "Besides, you might even have fun."

"Don't hold your breath," Clark warned her before she stood up.

"I don't intend to," she spoke. "Anyway, I'll grab the menus out from the drawer to decide what to get."

"Do you think they'll be delivering in this weather?" he called to her, remaining sat on the sofa as she stood by the sideboard in the hallway.

"Can't you fly?" she wondered from him. "That would be an amazing power to have...anyway...I'm sure they will...the roads are clear, it's just the pathways. Hey, do you think there..."

Clark stopped listening the Lizzie for a moment then, the thought of flying coming into his mind.

...

A/N: So many followers for this story! Thank you all so much for taking the time to read it so far! Anyway, thanks to Alexstarlight18, Carlypso, FirstBorn, Sarsun04, Becxx96, MarieeSalvatorelover, and SilverFireStorm (I admit that it is a pretty creepy coincidence!) for reviewing. Do let me know what y'all think!


	5. Chapter 5

"You know that I don't want to take on the business!" Clark snapped as he sat in the backseat of the truck. His father drove the truck with Martha sat beside him, their pet dog in her lap. Clark had sat at the back besides Lizzie as they drove into town. Lizzie had spent the previous night at Clark's house, spending all of her time studying with him.

"I also know that you don't want to go to college," his father retorted in a calmer voice.

Elizabeth kept quiet as she looked out the window to the passing traffic. She could practically feel the tension in the car. Martha said nothing, choosing to keep out of her husband's business with her son. She didn't want to get involved.

"How do you know that?" Clark wondered. "I might want to do something else other than go to college. Not all of us can be like Lizzie."

"Do not get me involved," Elizabeth warned Clark as soon as he had dropped her name into the conversation. She glowered at him for another moment, shaking her head back and forth as Clark continued to grumble under his breath.

"We will talk about it later, Clark," his father assured him before silence fell over them.

Elizabeth dared to look at Clark with a swift glance, wondering if his anger had subsided yet. She assumed he wouldn't be mad for long. Clark rarely argued with his parents. All of the time Elizabeth had known him, he had never been one to start an argument. She dared to move her hand out to rest it on top of Clark's.

He looked down at the contact for a moment, not moving from it as he picked her hand up and squeezed it. She forced herself to smile at him as his sweaty palm engulfed hers.

She didn't gain the chance to say anything because the car suddenly stopped, jolting them all forwards. Clark released her hand then, hearing a distinct sound in the distance. Jonathan was the first one to open the car door, followed by Martha.

"What is it?" Elizabeth wondered, watching as Clark climbed out from the car. Lizzie went to do the same, only for the door to remain closed due to the car which had parked right next door to her door. She groaned once, sliding over the seat before feeling Clark's hand around her arm, dragging her from the vehicle.

"Tornado," Jonathan shouted out. "You need to go! Get to the overpass!"

There was a moment of hesitance from all of them, watching as the clouds covered the sky, darkening everything around them. Elizabeth shook her head as she saw the tornado begin to form in the distance, beginning to tear at everything which sat in its path.

"Go!" Jonathan yelled, taking hold of Martha and pushing her in the direction of the overpass.

"Come on," Clark spoke to Lizzie, grabbing her hand into his. He ran down the highway with her in tow, trying to get his way through the cars. Clark eventually jumped over the bonnet of one car, opening the door of it to tell someone else to get out. Lizzie crawled over the bonnet, Clark waiting for her at the other side as he grabbed her in his arms and set her down quickly.

Clark continued to inform people of what to do, waiting for them to get to the overpass first. The wind began to howl, knocking everything out of its way as it advanced towards them. Jonathan continued to yell at people, urging them to move and get to cover. Elizabeth stayed by Clark's side, her hand resting in his whilst he watched the tornado.

"Hank," Lizzie suddenly whispered, remembering the dog in the car. "Clark! Hank is in the car!"

Clark looked back down at Elizabeth, finally understanding what she was talking about. He pushed her in the direction of the overpass, his strength causing her to stumble over her own feet. She regained balance in time to see Clark and Jonathan arguing about who should fetch the dog. She walked backwards to the overpass slowly, her heart in her mouth as she saw Clark move. Jonathan rested his hand on his son's chest, stopping him from moving any closer.

He rushed to the car as Clark stayed where he was outside the overpass. Martha was soon by Elizabeth's side, holding her arm with a tight grip as she watched her son and husband. The barking of Hank was suddenly heard throughout the overpass. The dog rushed forwards and Clark led it back to the overpass. Martha knelt beside him, turning her head to look for her husband.

Clark looked back out to the main road as the winds blew closer with each passing moment. He could make out the outline of his father through the masses of cars. Before he had chance to act, a car came hurtling towards the overpass, flying above it in the strong gusts. Clark instantly wrapped his arms around Elizabeth, holding her to him as she wrapped her fingers around Clark's upper arms which were covered in his blue t-shirt.

That was when they saw Jonathan come into full view, limping as he moved. Clark began to move out of Lizzie's hold, but stopped when his father raised his hand. Elizabeth waited to see what he was going to do for a moment, her eyes firmly set on Jonathan as he remained stood where he was.

"No," he said to Clark. "It's okay, son."

That was when Clark realised what his father was telling him to do. He was protecting him and his secret. Elizabeth's grip on Clark seemed to increase after that, her eyes unable to leave Jonathan as he waited for the tornado to take him.

Clark's grip on Elizabeth was the only thing which kept him grounded. It was the only thing which he could hold onto as a flurry of emotions came over him. He cried out as soon as his father was taken from him. Martha's sobs were also audible as Elizabeth felt Clark's grip slacken. She stood as tall as possible, feeling Clark slowly losing his grip on her. She held him tighter then, keeping him upright with as much might as she could muster. It was only then when Clark's head fell to her shoulder and he sobbed loudly, unable to contain his sorrow.

Elizabeth rested her hand on Clark's soft hair, stroking it back as she said nothing, knowing full well that nothing she said would appease him or make him feel any better. All she could do was be there for him.

...

The funeral of Jonathan Kent was a small affair. Elizabeth was there for Clark, defying her parent's wishes. They said that it was not her place to go. They told her that Clark wouldn't want her there. He needed time alone to cope with what had happened.

Elizabeth had snapped back, telling them that she was old enough to do the right thing. Clark had appreciated her being there. He had sat by her side with his mother holding onto his arm, crying silent sobs. Clark's free hand had found Elizabeth's again, taking the only source of comfort which he would from her.

She had continued to attend school, making notes for Clark so that he didn't fall too far behind. She hadn't seen Clark since the funeral a week ago. He hadn't been at school, and he hadn't phoned her or made any attempt to contact her. She thought that he did need time to grieve. A week felt a long time without Clark. She knew that she had to see him eventually.

It was on the Saturday morning when she grabbed her bike from the garage. She climbed on and biked as far as possible, her satchel in the basket as the wind rushed through her hair. She finally made it to the Kent residence, looking around for any sign of life. She saw nothing for a moment until she knocked on the front door.

Martha stood there, her eyes wide and a tea towel in her hands as she looked at Elizabeth.

"Lizzie...I hadn't expected to see you here..." she informed the young girl.

"No," Elizabeth said. "I came to see Clark...I know he may not want to see me...but I need to talk to him..."

"Of course he will want to see you," Martha said weakly. "He's in the backyard...just go through..."

"Thank you, Mrs Kent," Elizabeth said, forcing herself to smile politely.

She grabbed her satchel from her basket, draping it over her shoulder before moving around to find Clark. He was sat on the grass, a football in his hands. He heard the crunching of grass underneath her feet, knowing full well who it was.

"Clark," Elizabeth whispered his name.

She hesitantly moved closer to him, sitting by his side on the damp ground. She folded her legs underneath her, extending one arm to keep her upright on the grass. She turned to look at him as he stared straight ahead.

"How are you feeling?" she wondered gently. He had no chance to answer for she shook her head. "I'm sorry, that is a stupid question. Such a stupid question."

"I don't feel anything," Clark replied, ignoring her previous comment. "Lizzie, I feel nothing. I spent the first week crying...the second week feeling guilty...and now...there is nothing."

She bit down on her bottom lip, not too sure how she should respond to that. She didn't have any answers to what had happened. She had no magical solution to make Clark feel better, although she wished that she did. She longed to make him feel better.

"I would have revealed myself," Clark said. "I should have done it. I should have saved him."

"He knew that you weren't ready," Elizabeth said. "You cannot blame yourself for this, Clark. It is not your-"

"-It is my fault," he interrupted her. "Of course it is my fault, Lizzie. I stood by and watched my father die. I could have stopped it. I could have saved him."

Lizzie flinched back at his harsh tone. He threw the ball miles away from him, unable to hold his anger in any longer. He clenched his hands into fists, his eyes looking to her as he waited for her to say something to him. But what did he want her to say? Did he want her to agree with him? Did he want her to disagree with him? Clark had no idea what he truly wanted. He just wanted her to say something. He needed her to speak before he went mad with his own thoughts.

"Your father was a good and honest man," Elizabeth told him. "He died to protect you, Clark. He did what he thought was best for you. Don't resent him for that."

"I don't resent him," Clark said to her. "I resent myself. I resent myself for not being ready."

"Don't," Elizabeth urged him, only then daring to place her hand on Clark's shoulder, holding it tightly in her grasp. "Clark, don't resent yourself. That is not what your father would have wanted, you know that."

"I know it," Clark said. "It doesn't make it any easier, Lizzie."

"Nothing will make it easier," she whispered to him. "You just have to move on. You have to do what your dad wanted you to do."

Clark listened to her words, thinking about how much sense she had just made. It made a change for Elizabeth to speak with logic. Clark moved closer to her, resting his head on top of her shoulder, watching the wind blow the grass in the breeze. Lizzie dropped her head to his shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment and wondering what more she could say.

"How is your mother?" Elizabeth suddenly wondered , unable to stand the silence for much longer.

"She's strong," Clark spoke. "She stays strong for my sake...but I sometimes hear her crying...and I don't know what to do. I don't know if she resents me for-"

"-Don't you dare," Elizabeth snapped, sitting up tall again, pushing Clark's head from hers. "Don't you dare say that, Clark. Your mother does not resent you for what you have done. She could never resent you. Don't think like that."

"It's hard not to."

"I get that," Lizzie said. "You just have to push it aside, Clark. Deep down...you know she doesn't resent you. She loves you. You're her son."

With no response, Clarke took to wrapping his fingers together multiple times. He was unsure of what to do, if he had to be honest. In a way he just wanted to leave. He wanted to get away from Smallville. He wanted to find out who he was. It was what he needed to do.

His mother would understand; Clark was sure of it.

"Then I know what I have to do," Clark said to her. "I have to find out who I am...I have to know, Lizzie. Dad would have wanted me to. He gave his life to protect me. The least I can do is know who I am."

"And how are you going to do that?" Lizzie asked him. "Clark, you have no idea where to begin. The logical place would be-"

"-There is no logic," Clark interrupted her. "Don't you see? There is no logic to this, Liz. Sometimes you need to think outside the box."

"Clark...please...think about it..." she urged him. "Don't do anything rash."

"I won't," he promised her. "Besides, I assume I need to finish school before I can go."

"You do," she said and went into her satchel. "I've made you the notes for the next few weeks. Exams are looming...well, I get that they're not the most important thing on your mind right now."

"Thank you," Clark replied, taking the notes from her hands. "I know you're looking out for me, Liz. I don't expect to do well in exams."

"Well, maybe I'll let you copy," she attempted to joke. It seemed to work because a small smile lit up Clark's face.

"Lizzie, darling!"

Lizzie turned around to see Martha stood on the porch, a mug of coffee in her hands. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

Lizzie bit down on her lip for a moment. She would normally say yes. She would usually agree to dinner at the Kent household.

"Stay," Clark urged her. "You're not interrupting anything."

"That would be lovely, Mrs Kent."

Martha nodded and turned on her heel, walking back inside to leave Clark and Lizzie to their own thoughts.

"I don't have to stay," Lizzie whispered to Clark.

"No," he said. "I want you to stay...besides...we might not have a lot of time left together now."

"Don't say that," she urged him. "We'll still see each other, Clark, just not as often."

"Yeah," Clark said, not truly believing his own words. "Of course we will."


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey there, stranger."

Lizzie joked with Clark as she nudged him in the shoulder. The end of term was looming upon them, exams had begun, and Lizzie had barely seen Clark. She had to admit that she had spent most of her time in the library, or at home studying. She sometimes went around to Clark's house, trying to urge him to study, but he wouldn't listen to her. He was still set on leaving Smallville to find out the truth of his heritage.

Clark smirked back at hearing her, the sound of her voice something which filled him with happiness. He had missed her for the past few weeks, but he too had been busy. He just hadn't been busy studying. He looked across to Lizzie as she stood at her locker, depositing her history book inside of it.

"I haven't seen you in a while," Clark commented.

"I know," Lizzie admitted; a small amount of guilt inside of her. "I've been busy studying. I would come and study with you, but I'm too stressed. I need to get into college with these grades. At the moment, it isn't going too well."

"I doubt that," Clark said to her. "You're the smartest girl I know."

"I'm the only girl you know," Lizzie said, her head disappearing into her locker to search for her math book. Clark cocked a brow.

"I suppose so," he agreed lamely with her. "That is not the point though."

"It sort of is," Lizzie muttered, pulling back out the locker with the book in tow. "Anyway, how has your revision been going?"

"You know there is no point to me revising," Clark said. "I don't intend to go to college."

"That does not mean that you should slack," Lizzie mumbled back, flicking the book open to the correct page. Clark leant against the locker next to hers, his book under his arm as she glanced to him whilst searching her notes. "Besides, you might need those grades one day."

"I doubt it," he said. "Anyway, I imagine that you are doing enough revision for the pair of us."

"Not at all," Lizzie said. "I'm only doing enough for me."

"Whatever you say," Clark shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Anyway, when is your last exam?"

"Tomorrow," she complained. "Advanced math. I don't know why I agreed to take it. Math is not related to politics."

"You took it to show off," Clark said.

She slammed the locker door shut, locking it again and holding her book tight to her side. She moved off down the hallway with Clark in tow.

"Did not," Lizzie protested. "Anyway, when is your last one?"

"This afternoon," Clark said, a smug smirk on his face. "It's a normal math exam."

"Damn those normal math exams," Lizzie grumbled.

Clark chuckled, walking slowly by her side. "Anyway, I'll pick you up tomorrow night at about eight?"

Lizzie stood still, her brow furrowing as she thought about what Clark had just said. Why was he picking her up? Was something happening that she didn't know about? Clark took in the confused expression which sat on her pale face, a sly grin forming on his lips. She had completely forgotten.

"Lizzie, it is prom tomorrow night. It seems silly to have a graduation prom _before _we graduate, but that is Smallville High, I suppose."

"It's technically just a leaver's prom," Lizzie clarified. "Graduation is just a fancier word. Anyway, I haven't even bought a dress. I don't have any shoes...or my hair booked in to be cut..."

"I told you at Christmas that I would take you." Clark reminded her.

"I know," she drawled. "I just...well...I thought that you had other things on your mind, Clark. I didn't think that you would care about a stupid prom."

"So it is stupid now?"

"It's hardly intelligent, is it?" Lizzie retorted. "Besides...it doesn't matter, Clark. I don't mind if you really don't want to go."

"I told you that I would," Clark reminded her. "Besides, you'll have something inside of your wardrobe, won't you? You're a girl."

"Very observant," Lizzie whispered, thinking that he didn't hear her. "Fine. Fine, I will find something. I will find an outfit."

"Good," Clark said, about to turn off for the exam room. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck with advanced math."

"Good luck with math for beginners," she replied, her lips tugged up at the side as she did so.

"You wound me."

"I think we both know that is impossible," Lizzie responded with a knowing smile. She watched on as Clark turned off the corridor, leaving to complete his last exam of school.

...

The halls were deserted when Clark finished the exam. It lasted half an hour after the finish time for school. He wandered back to his bike, knowing full well that the exam hadn't particularly gone to plan. If he failed math then he wondered how hard advanced math was. Clark grabbed his bag from his locker on the way, rummaging around in it to find his bike lock key. He pulled it out to unlock it, the sound of footsteps behind him.

"Looks like we'll never be seeing each other again then, freak."

Clark bit down on his lip, wondering why Whitney even bothered. Clark knew why deep down. He knew that Whitney wanted to be proven right. He wanted people to see Clark for the freak he was. He couldn't handle people debating whether or not he had seen the entire truth. But Whitney knew. He knew Clark wasn't normal, and he would prove it.

"That suits me fine," Clark said after a moment, placing the bike lock in his bag.

"I bet it does," Whitney said. "I wonder about Lizzie though. I hear she's going back to NYC. I also hear that you're leaving...but I don't know why. Are you going back to the asylum?"

"This is why you're so well liked," Clark said, "because of your ingenious wit."

"I'm better liked than you," Whitney said. "Perhaps Lizzie will come like me better. I'll be here when she comes home for Christmas and breaks. She's such a pretty thing, isn't she? Have you had her yet, farm boy?"

Clark's jaw began to tick, a sense of sickness rushed over him at the words he was listening to. It sickened him to think that Whitney could say such things. Clark tried to keep his temper under control, deciding to hold his jaw stiffly and glare ahead.

"No?" Whitney continued. "You haven't taken her? Now, that is a shame, isn't it, Kent? I bet she's quite the dirty little-"

Clark silenced Whitney, grabbing hold of his shirt in his hand and slamming the boy against the wall of the bike stand. Whitney laughed and Clark knew that he couldn't control his temper. He thought about Lizzie. He thought about what she would say if she was with him. What would she think? She'd tell him to calm down. She'd tell him that he wasn't worth it.

But she wasn't there.

She wasn't there, and Clark couldn't keep listening to the explicit things which Whitney was saying.

"You'd best keep your eye on her tomorrow night," Whitney whispered. "I'll be waiting...I'll show her what she missed out on at Christmas ball. I'll have her in the backseat...all to myself...underneath me..."

That was when Clark let out an annoyed roar. He moved his fist, aiming it straight to the middle of Whitney's forehead. But he didn't hit him. He dropped the boy to the ground, thinking about what his father would say. Whitney scrambled on the floor, his ears ringing as he heard the smashing sound of bricks around him.

Clark couldn't contain himself. His fist landed in the bricks, destroying them and leaving a large hole where his hand had lodged itself. He leant against the wall, closing his eyes to take a deep breath.

What had he done?

"I knew it!" Whitney shouted out. "I knew that you were a freak! You've been hiding behind your precious Elizabeth for so long...she was the only way to get to you, and it worked. Don't worry, Kent, you can keep the nerd. I bet she doesn't put out."

Clark felt his jaw slacken and he remained stood where he was, waiting for his anger to drop down. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He had been stupid. He had been completely foolish. He should never have gotten so angry. His father had died to stop this from happening.

The guilt he had been hiding rose to the surface again.

He grabbed his cycle, glad that Whitney had scampered off, and rushed away from school grounds. He cycled as fast as he could without look abnormal. His mind was a blur of activity, yelling at him to get away from Smallville. What choice did he have now? Whitney had all the evidence which he needed. It wouldn't be the first time he had been accused of being a freak. It would be a witch hunt for him.

And all because he couldn't control his temper. All because of his loyalty for Lizzie.

Clark dumped his cycle on the front porch and rushed into the house, breathing laboured breaths as he thought about what he needed to do. He had to disappear. There was no way he could live in the house where his father had sheltered him. He had protected him, only for Clark to shove it back in his face and rise to the taunts of a bully.

"Mom!" Clark shouted out.

Martha came rushing into the living room, a look of growing concern on her face as she looked at Clark with an arched brow.

"Where's the fire?"

"I...mom...I made a mistake."

Martha shook her head, slowly moving to her son as he ran a hand through his hair. She had seen Clark's tortured expression for months on end. She had watched her son blame himself for Jonathan's death. She had seen him cry himself to sleep, make plans about leaving to discover himself. All she could do was sit and watch nervously. She urged him to stay. She urged him to make plans to go to college, find a good job, try and be normal. She pleaded with him not to go, but he had his mind made up.

"What is it?" Martha wondered, her hand resting on Clark's shoulder. She guided him to the sofa, urging him to sit down as he dropped his head into his hands.

"Whitney Fordman." Clark whispered. "He...he saw what I did."

"What do you mean?" Martha asked, placing a hand over her mouth as she thought about what he had just said. "Clark, tell me you didn't hit him."

"No," Clark said. "I was going to. I wanted to, mom. I wanted to hit him...but...I thought of what dad would say...I thought of what Lizzie would say. I dropped him and punched the wall. He saw what I did. No doubt he's gone off to tell everyone what a freak I am. Most of them have suspicions."

"And we have dealt with their suspicions before," Martha said. "We can deal with them again, Clark."

"No," Clark shook his head adamantly. "You've been through enough. This time I'm old enough to speak for myself, and I don't want to, mom. I don't want people looking at me as if I am a freak. I've had enough of it."

"What are you saying, Clark?" Martha wondered, her voice low. "Clark, you have to stand up to them-"

"-No, I don't," Clark replied. "I want to go, mom. I want to leave now. I need to."

Martha looked startled for a moment. The thought had lurked in the back of her mind; she just hoped he wouldn't say it aloud. She wanted him to stay with her for the summer. She wanted to keep her son for as long as possible.

"Don't," she begged her son. "Clark, don't leave."

Clark kept quiet, knowing that he was breaking his mother's heart by what he was saying. He looked back to her, the pain on her face evident. He leaned over to take her hand into his, his eyes beginning to water with the task which faced him.

"I'm tired of not knowing who I am," Clark admitted to her. "I need an explanation...I need to go and find out...or...what if I hurt someone seriously next time?"

"You would never-"

"-You don't know what I would do," Clark said. "I've shocked myself. By now the whole town will have heard Whitney's tale. You don't deserve to defend me, mom. I don't want you to."

"I will," Martha said to him.

A small smile played on Clark's face. "I know you will." He agreed. "But you don't have to. I need to do this for dad. He died...believing in me...I feel as though I have let him down tonight by what I did. It makes me more determined to find the truth. You understand, don't you, mom?"

Martha could hardly disagree with him. Of course she understood. As much as it hurt her, she knew why Clark wanted to do this. She knew why he was acting this way. She had seen the guilt eat up at him in the past few months. He tried to hide it, of course, but he failed. She could see through him.

She moved her hand to his cheek, feeling tears well up in her eyes, blurring her vision.

"You're only just turned eighteen, Clark," Martha whispered. "You're still my baby boy."

"I'll come back," Clark promised her. "I love you, mom."

The waterfall of tears came out then. Martha wrapped her arms around her son, holding her to him with as much force as she could muster. Clark held her back, resting his head on her shoulder as he thought about all that she had done for him.

"I love you, Clark," Martha whispered. "I'm proud of you, regardless of anything...so is your father."

Clark closed his eyes then, urging himself not to cry. He couldn't cry now. Pulling back from his mother, he looked to the doorway. A hanger balanced on top of it, his suit dangling from it. His suit for prom.

Martha followed his gaze. "I had it pressed this morning."

"I can't go," Clark said. "I can't take Lizzie...not now...Whitney...he'll make her life hell..."

"What are you going to tell her?" Martha wondered.

"I...how can I?" Clark wondered. "I can't say goodbye to her, mom."

"You have to," Martha said. "I know it will hurt her, Clark. It will hurt you too, but she deserves the truth. She deserves to know why you are going. Do that much for her."

Clark took a moment to think, his eyes closing and his breathing become sharp. He nodded in agreement with his mother and her conditions. Lizzie deserved to know the truth before he left her.

He just didn't want to imagine the look on her face when he told her. She knew what he planned to do. He had told her, and she had told him that she was going to New York. That was all there was to it.

"Go to her," Martha urged through her own sniffs. "Go and tell her."

Clark gave a solemn nod, stuffing his hands into his jean's pockets before walking towards the door.

"You were going to hit Whitney because of her, weren't you?" Martha suddenly wondered.

Clark turned back to look at his mother, his face one of confusion as he wondered how she knew that. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"She's the only one who you would protect and risk everything for."

Clark had no response to that. He turned back around and left the house, wondering how his mother knew everything about him.

...

A/N: Thanks to everyone reading and to all of my reviewers! I hope you'll stick with it and thank you for taking the time to review and read. I hope you'll let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

Clark stood outside Lizzie's house. It was situated in a terrace of houses; the street it sat on was quiet and full of cars parked by the sidewalk. Clark looked up to the small path to her door. The living room light was on, along with her bedroom light. He took a deep breath, moving up the stone path as he watched the door. He knocked lightly, taking deep breaths and waiting patiently.

"Clark."

Mr Lowe answered the door, his face scrunched up as if a bad smell had entered his nostril. Her parents had never approved of Clark, and Clark knew why. They believed people like Mrs Fordman. They were willing to see the worst in people.

"I need to see Lizzie," Clark said. "Is she in?"

Mr Lowe took a moment to think about what was being asked from him. He said nothing for a second, turning his head over his shoulder to look up the stairs. His daughter had been firmly shut in her room for the past four hours. She had only come downstairs for a snack and a bottle of water. Her father didn't want to tell her about the whispers he had heard on his way home. She didn't need distracting from her studies.

"She's studying, Clark," Mr Lowe spoke.

"I know that," Clark said. "I only need to talk to her for a moment."

"I don't think that's a good idea." The new voice spoke. Mrs Lowe stood beside her husband, her arms folded and her eyes glaring at the boy. She glared at him with more hatred than her husband had. "She has an important exam tomorrow. She doesn't need you messing with her mind."

"I-"

"-We've heard the rumours," Mrs Lowe spoke. "You were about to punch Whitney before he got out of the way. He saw what you did. You are not normal, Clark."

"I did not-"

"-Of course you would try to deny it," Mrs Lowe snorted. "So no, I shall not let you anywhere near my daughter. I've detested the fact that you two were close for a long time...what with the talk of your behaviour before...and now it has been proved that you are no good for her. She goes to New York soon. Until then, I will do my best to keep her from you."

"Ellie, honey," Mr Lowe interrupted. "Don't be too harsh on the boy. You know what Lizzie has told us of Whitney."

"I would never hurt your daughter," Clark promised them. "I care for her."

"We know," Mr Lowe agreed, glaring at his wife as she glared back at him. She clearly was not impressed with being disregarded. "We know that you do, Clark. Lizzie cares for you...Gods we know it...but...for tonight, Clark...we need her to study. She has advanced math tomorrow. She needs her time to study."

"No," Mrs Lowe complained. "She isn't going to be seeing you any other day. Lizzie doesn't need you lurking around her. You've stopped her from being social for too long. It stops now. She deserves to be normal...not having to defend you all the time..."

"Look, Mrs Lowe, I know that you don't think a lot of me. I understand that. But I really do need to see Lizzie. I won't be long. I promise."

"No," Mrs Lowe said, her hand resting on the door as she began to close it in Clark's face. "Stay away from our daughter, Clark. I mean it."

Clark wanted to do nothing more than push past the pair of them and go straight to Lizzie. He wondered if she had heard any of the argument. He doubted it considering she hadn't come down to argue with her parents. She wouldn't have stood by and allowed them to treat him with such contempt.

He took a few steps back from her house, looking to it and wondering what he could do. Lizzie's room had two windows, one at the front of the house and one at the back. Clark recalled her words before.

'_Can't you fly? That would be an amazing power to have.'_

He had thought about it for a long time. He supposed now was the time to find out. He used his speed to rush to her back gate, bolting over it to stand in the back garden. He looked up to her window and bent down to the ground. If he used enough force then it may be possible. Clark closed his eyes, using all of the concentration which he had. He felt himself being plummeted from the ground, hurtling into the night sky.

He yelled out as he continued to go upwards, the ground becoming even smaller than before. He laughed after a moment, looking over the entire neighbourhood with a sense of power. And then he remembered the basic law of physics. Everything that goes up must come down. That was when Clark felt his panic begin to build. He kept quiet, his breaths strained as he fell downwards, his legs and arms scrambling around him.

He tried to move closer to her window, the light of Lizzie's room coming into his sight.

Lizzie sat at her desk, a book in her hand as she ran a curler through her hair. She could have swung for Clark Kent earlier. He had given her one day to decide how she should look for prom. She wondered why she even cared. She knew that most of the population of Smallville High wouldn't look at her twice. They wouldn't care what she looked like.

But she cared. She knew there was one main reason why she cared. She supposed it would be because it had been Clark who had asked her to the prom. She knew that she cared for Clark, she just didn't know how much until it was too late. She didn't dare say anything, knowing full well that Clark was too intent on leaving to fulfil his dream of finding out who he was. She was going to NYC, and he was going travelling.

She wished things could be different, but it was the harsh reality that they couldn't.

She sighed, looking to the mirror which sat at the end of her long desk which doubled as a dressing table. She looked ridiculous. She knew she looked stupid. Her hair was naturally straight, and why fight nature? She then stood up, proceeding to glance at the full length mirror in the corner, her math book in her hand as she stood in the pale pink dress. Pulling at the hem, she recited the rule of trigonometry.

"And now, Pythagoras," she groaned, flipping a page.

Her studying was interrupted as she heard a thud on her window. She screeched loudly, throwing her book to the floor and then turning around. There was nothing there.

"Birds," she grumbled, bending over to pick her book up. She stood up again, her gaze going to the window before she screamed again. How was he stood on her windowsill? How was it possible?

"Clark," she called out to him.

He was crouched down on the small sill, his hands holding to the bricks which surrounded it as he glared at her.

"Opening the window may be helpful," he snapped at her through the glass.

She managed to hear him and rushed over, twisting the key and then opening the side pane. Clark angled his body to get into the room. He took a deep breath as he set foot on steady ground.

"Has the door become too boring for you?" Lizzie asked, shutting the window again before looking back to him.

"Oh, droll," Clark replied. "Your parents wouldn't let me in. They dislike me."

"I didn't hear you downstairs," Lizzie commented, brushing past to him to pick up her notes from her desk. Clark watched her walk, his brow furrowing for a moment.

"I'm surprised. I was expecting your yells at any moment...are you wearing a dress? And have you curled your hair?"

"You're on top form tonight," Lizzie said.

"Lizzie!"

She looked at Clark for a moment as her father yelled for her. She grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him to her wardrobe and pushing him inside. He closed the doors, waiting as Lizzie opened the door to her bedroom.

"Yeah?" she wondered from her father.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked. "We heard you scream."

"Oh...yeah..." Lizzie said, beginning to search for a lie. Clark inwardly groaned, knowing how terrible she was at lying. "I was curling my hair...and...sort of burnt my scalp..."

"Liz," he scolded her. "I've told you that those things are death traps."

"And you're right," Lizzie said. "Congratulations, dad."

"And why are you even curling your hair? And wearing a dress?"

"It's prom tomorrow night," Lizzie explained. "I only remembered. I needed something to wear...so I'm studying and trying on outfits. Women can multitask."

"I know that too well because of your mother," he snorted back. "Who are you going to prom with?"

"Who do you think?" Lizzie replied, her brow arched. Mr Lowe shook his head then, knowing full well that her mother would not allow her to go with Clark. But he said nothing. He didn't want to upset his daughter before her exam. He didn't want Clark to be the disruption for her.

"Study hard," was all that her father said.

She nodded once and closed the door again. She pressed her ear to the door, listening on as her father trudged back down the stairs. Clark fell out of her wardrobe, looking at her for a moment with a small smile.

"I blame you for this, Clark Kent," Lizzie complained to him, fussing around her notes on her desk. "I'm in a complete state...I have an exam tomorrow, yet I'm focusing on a prom."

"Liz," Clark whispered to her. "I...I have something to tell you..."

Lizzie knew that tone. It was Clark's serious tone. She stood tall and dropped a hand to her hip, waiting for him to explain.

"I can't take you to prom," Clark said. "I...I'm leaving...tonight..."

She looked at him, wondering if he was being serious with her. Surely he was joking. How could he leave that night? How could he give her no warning? She rolled her eyes then, a small smile of disbelief settling on her face.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"No," Clark promised her. "I can't stay here. I...it was after the exam...Whitney..."

Lizzie needed no more words. She was bright enough to understand what he was saying to her. She shook her head at him, her mouth agape as she tried to form words.

"Did you kill him?" she wondered lowly.

"What?" Clark replied. "Lizzie, God, no. Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know!" Lizzie said. "Your face was scaring me a bit. Besides, I wouldn't mind if you did. You know what I think of Whitney Fordman. Anyway, I'm glad you didn't kill him...not that you would be in jail for long; you'd break out in a moment. Do you-"

"-You're rambling." Clark interrupted her speech.

She closed her mouth and looked at him again.

"I didn't even punch him. I had him against the wall, ready to do just that. I wanted to do nothing more than punch him, Lizzie...but...I dropped him. I hit the wall. He saw me smash it. He'd told everyone, Liz. That's why your parents wouldn't let me in."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She should have been there to stop it like last time. She should have stopped him.

"It's fine," Lizzie said. "You can say that Whitney is unstable...he is...let's be honest...he isn't the brightest of humans..."

"No one would believe me," Clark told her. "You know that, Lizzie. They all think I'm a freak as it is."

"That doesn't mean you have to leave," she said, dropping her book to her desk. She leant against it, perching on the edge as she did so. "Prom doesn't matter. I don't care about that...but...you don't have to go, not yet, Clark."

"I wanted to hurt him," Clark whispered; his admittance something which scared him. "Questions will be asked. Questions which I can't answer. I have blown my cover, Liz. I...my dad died to protect me...what does it all mean now? What does it all mean? Fordman will be at my mom asking questions. It is best that I'm not there. I don't want to see her hurt. It isn't her they want."

"It's not some witch hunt, Clark," Liz whispered. "You can explain to people what it is. They will understand."

"They won't," Clark whispered. "They won't understand, because I don't understand. I want to know, Lizzie. I have to know. You knew that I had to go."

"I didn't want to believe it," she whispered, looking down at her hands. "I still don't want to."

"You have no choice," Clark replied. "The guilt by being here is eating me up. It is hurting me, Liz."

"I know." She agreed. And she did know. She turned back around to her desk, unable to look at Clark any longer. She bent over it, fussing with her papers as she felt tears well up in her eyes. "Anyway, you can wait for a few days, can't you? We can go somewhere...well...your mom could take you somewhere until the dust settles down. She could take you to NY? I know a load of hotels there. We'd be fine, wouldn't we? You'd be safe, and everything would be fine. Of course, there can be a lot of crimes, but you'd have that covered...and..."

She trailed off as she felt his hand move around her to rest on one of her shaking ones. She could feel his chest against her back, his other hand resting softly on her waist. She took a deep breath, her tears falling onto her desk as she stood back up, turning in Clark's hold and wrapping her arms around his neck. Clark felt shock take over him for a moment as he held her back, his own hand running down her curled hair.

"Don't go," she pleaded with him. "Please, don't leave...Clark...please..."

"Sh," Clark urged her, pulling back for a moment. She kept her hands on his shoulders, her grip firm, almost as if she refused to let him part from her. "It won't be for a long time, Lizzie. I will visit you sooner than you think. Besides, you'll be too busy in New York to think about me."

"I won't," she replied adamantly. "You know that."

"Maybe not," Clark lamely said. "This isn't the end, Liz. You know it, and I know it. Don't cry."

Lizzie scoffed for a moment, rubbing a hand over her eyes to stop the tears. She shook her head at him, a small smile on her face.

"I'm crying because I spent all of this time preparing for prom...all two hours of prep..." she complained to him. "And then you stand me up."

"I'm sorry," Clark said. He truly was sorry. "You do look beautiful."

"Shut up," Lizzie said, thumping him on the chest. He shook his head, looking down at her. He looked up her bare legs to where the skirt flared out before being clenched in at her small waist. The capped sleeves were level with the neckline as intricate flowers decorated it lightly.

"No," Clark said. "You do look beautiful, Lizzie. I'm not joking."

"You're terrible at jokes anyway," Lizzie muttered at him.

She didn't know what he was doing as he took hold of her hand and held it in the air. His other hand found her waist as she looked at him with puzzlement.

"What are you doing?"

"It would be disrespectful not to dance, considering you went to such an effort," Clark informed her, beginning to walk her backwards and to the side. She placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head as Clark looked at her red rimmed eyes and gave a small smile.

He instantly bumped into her once he took his eyes from the ground.

"Just a minute," Clark said after the second bump. She waited for a moment before he picked her up by the waist and placed her on his own feet. She laughed lightly, trying to be quiet to keep her parents away. Both of Clark's arms wrapped around her waist as she dangled hers around his neck.

"Do I really weigh nothing to you?"

"It's like carrying a fly," he promised her, slowly moving from side to side.

"You know," she whispered, "I think we've ruined the friendship. Friends don't dance this close to each other."

"True," Clark agreed. "Although, I do fail to care."

"I suppose we can look past it. You have felt me up before."

"If you're talking about that time I saved your life, then that does not count," Clark recalled.

"It so does count," she said, a small trace of humour back in her eyes. A silence fell over them for another moment. "If it counts, well...I suppose I don't care at this moment in time."

Lizzie looked back at him, wondering what was happening. Clark lowered her to the ground, his grip refusing to let up on her. She said nothing for a moment, wondering what Clark was doing as he closed his eyes and moved closer to her, clearly intent on doing something which friends did not do.

"Clark," Lizzie complained, pulling back from him in his hold. "What are you doing?"

"I..." he stammered, too much in shock to comprehend words.

"We can't," Lizzie replied. "If this isn't the end then we can't risk our friendship. We cannot risk what we have now because you left and kissed me...what if you came back...and I still felt something for you? What about if you had found someone else? It would hurt...and if I found someone, which is highly unlikely because I am hardly attractive, well, that would be awkward too, wouldn't it? I'm not saying that you should be jealous, because you shouldn't. You're much better looking than I am."

"Are you finished?" Clark asked her as she took a deep breath. "Lizzie, I'm not going to search the earth for the chosen one. I'm going to try and find my heritage."

"You could find her in your past," Lizzie said. "She could be as super as you are."

"I doubt it," Clark snorted. "Just tell me that the thought has never crossed your mind."

"What thought?"

"About us two...well...being together?" Clark asked sheepishly. What did he have to lose? He was leaving, and so was she.

"What?" Lizzie asked. "Well...I mean...of course...we spend enough time together...but...I didn't think you were ever interested in me. I'm hardly a catch, am I?"

Clark dared to step closer to her then, moving his hand to her cheek. He rested his fingers there, the contact causing her to shiver under his touch. She instinctively rested her hand on top of his.

"Why are we talking about this when it is too late?" Lizzie wondered.

"You've always been too slow," Clark said to her, moving closer to her as she closed her eyes and felt his hot breath on her cheek.

"You may physically be quick, but I am hardly slow. I think you'll find my-"

She was cut off as Clark's mouth descended on hers. She gasped suddenly as she felt his other hand curve around the back of her neck. It always amazed her how soft he could be when she considered how strong he really was. He moved closer to her then, pressing their bodies flush together as he dared to move his lips against hers. He seemed to be doing something right for she pushed her hands through his hair and groaned at the contact between the pair of them.

Clark dared to move his hands down her sides, the material of the dress rubbing against her skin as he made the movement and she shuddered as he boldly moved one hand to cup her bottom. He could blame that on teenage hormones.

"Lizzie!"

Clark instantly jumped back from her, his mouth parting from hers as his hands remained in place. Lizzie turned to look at the door, pushing Clark away from her as he hid in the wardrobe again.

"What is it this time?" she snapped at her dad, flinging the door open as he looked at her with wide eyes.

"I just came up to see if you wanted a hot chocolate before bed." He spoke. "Are you okay? You seem flustered."

"Oh...yeah...just math...you know how it is," she complained. "I'm not thirsty anyway. I'm just going to go to sleep."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Night, dad," she poke, pecking him on the cheek and then slamming the door on him.

Clark fell out the wardrobe again, looking at her for another moment as she dropped her hands to her hips.

"I thought you had super sensitive hearing?" she wondered.

"I...well...I was a bit distracted," Clark admitted.

"Groping my ass," Lizzie mumbled.

"It is a fine ass," Clark promised her.

"Hey!" she said, pointing at him. "Too far, Kent. I'm warning you."

He held his hands up in surrender then. A spout of silence came over the pair of them before Clark spoke.

"I should let you sleep. You have an exam tomorrow."

"I doubt I will be able to sleep."

"You need to try, and I need to pack."

"Will begging for you not to go change anything?" Lizzie whispered into the darkness, wrapping her arms around herself as she suddenly felt cold.

"No," Clark said, his honesty apparent in his tone. "You know that, Lizzie."

"I know," she said in a small voice.

He moved back to her, daring to hug her before kissing the top of her head. She pecked his cheek, trying her best not to cry in front of him. She could save her tears for the darkness. He didn't need to see her weakness.

"How are you getting home?" she wondered as he opened the window.

"I might fly," Clark considered for a second. "My bike is outside your house. I'll hide it before I go."

"You're really getting the hang of these powers," Lizzie sniffed.

Clark climbed to sit on the windowsill, still looking at her as he adjusted his body to stand on the small ledge. He bent down as she placed both of her hands on his neck, resting her forehead against his.

"Promise me that you'll be safe," she urged him. "Promise me that, Clark."

"I promise," Clark said to her. "You promise me."

"Clark, I'm from the city. We were born tough," she said, looking to him to see that he was not appeased. "But yes, I promise you."

"Good," Clark spoke. "Now get some sleep and get into college. I'll be back before you know it."

"I know," Lizzie agreed, not too sure if she did know or not. She grasped at his shirt collar for a second, her breath hitting his cheek as she began to cry. She couldn't help it.

"Hey," Clark said to her. "This isn't goodbye."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain," Clark said. "I'll see to it that it isn't."

"And you are some kind of superhero," Lizzie said. "I suppose you will see to it."

"I'm hardly a superhero," Clark said.

She shook her head. "You are...you're like...a superman or something..."

"You're too hysterical," Clark declared and she laughed once, closing her eyes as she felt him kiss her again quickly. "Lizzie, you need to let go. I have to go."

"Oh," she whispered, slowly releasing her hands from his shirt. Clark caught one of her hands in his, squeezing it tightly as he smiled softly.

"I'll miss you," he admitted to her.

"I should hope so," she replied to him, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. "Go and find out who you are, Clark...but come back...please come back..."

Clark nodded, kissing the back of her hand and forcing himself to smile for her sake.

"I'll see you later, Liz."

She had no chance to say anything more as Clark released her hand and dropped down from her windowsill. She watched him hit the ground and bolt over to her gate. She stood at the window for another few moments, leaning out of it as the tears freely fell then. A few moments later she saw him in the night sky, a figure moving into the distance until her vision became blurred and she could see no more.

Resting a hand over her mouth, she slumped to the floor, the cool night air blowing into her room as she openly sobbed. She cried until she could cry no more, and then she went to feeling numb.

...

A/N: This is hardly the end of the story! Anyway, two chapters in one day. I hope you liked them and let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Lizzie knew that advanced math had gone as well as she had hoped, and she didn't have a lot of hope considering what had happened last night. She had closed her window after Clark had left and spent the rest of the night in bed, crying herself to sleep, wishing things had been different. It still hurt her to think about Clark and what had happened. He promised that she would see him soon. She didn't know whether or not she would. She only longed for Clark to stay safe.

"Did you see what the freak did?"

She groaned as she heard the voice behind her. She was messing with her bike lock again, trying to work it so that she could get her bike out. She knew that she needed a new lock; she had done for a long time. And then her anger rose up. He had been the reason for Clark's immediate departure.

Lizzie turned around, dropping her satchel to the ground. She came face to face with Whitney, the smug boy getting on her nerves as he stood there with a grin on his face. Lizzie said nothing, choosing to ball her hand into a fist and punch him across the jaw.

Apparently Clark had more self restraint than she did.

Whitney doubled over, the pain in his jaw causing him to wince.

"Stay the hell away from me, Fordman," Elizabeth warned him. "I mean it."

"You're as psycho as that boyfriend of yours. Where is he hiding? What hole has he crawled into?"

"He's gone away from you," Lizzie said. "He's left Smallville. You've tortured him enough, haven't you...but...even after everything...Clark will always be worth ten of you."

"You're a fool, Lizzie," he warned her. "I always thought that. Kent is nothing. He's a freak on a farm. That is all he ever has been."

"Do you want a black eye to go with that jaw?" she wondered, grabbing her bag from the floor and slinging it over her shoulder. She climbed onto her bike, removing the lock and dropping it in her basket, her satchel soon following suit. She glared at Whitney one more time as he looked at her with entertainment on his face.

"Have a good time in New York, Lizzie." He urged her. "I'll be here for when you return...I can't say the same about Kent. He's destined to be locked away forever."

"You're an asshole," Lizzie growled and began to bike away. If Clark could restrain himself then so could she. She biked as fast as possible, unknowingly heading in the direction of Clark's house. It was where she tended to go after every school day. She knew where she was going as soon as she came to his house. She climbed off her bike, looking at the white house with wide eyes.

Martha was stood outside when she saw the girl pull up to her home. She stood with her bike at her side, holding onto it with both hands.

"Lizzie?" Martha spoke, pulling the girl out from the daze she had been in.

Lizzie looked to Mrs Kent, an apologetic smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Mrs Kent...I just left school...and ended up here..."

"You don't need to apologise," Martha said, pegging the final sheet to the washing line. She rubbed her hands together and walked over to her, pushing her hands in her pockets as she smiled at Lizzie. "Clark told me that he went to see you last night."

"Yeah, he did," Lizzie said; looking to the ground as a blush clouded her cheeks. "I sort of hoped it hadn't happened."

"So do I," Martha whispered. "Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"No, it's fine, Mrs Kent," Lizzie shook her head. "I should go home. Mom and dad aren't working late tonight...they...well..."

"They don't think a lot to Clark," Martha said with a nod. She knew that. She always had known it. "It's fine, Lizzie. They wouldn't be happy if they knew that you were here."

"Probably not," Lizzie admitted to her.

A momentary silence came between them. Lizzie ran her hand down her arm, looking back to Mrs Kent with a hesitant gaze.

"Do you know where he went?" Lizzie wondered.

"No," Martha admitted. "He promised to let me know as soon as he knew. Hopefully he will tell you, Lizzie."

"Hopefully," Lizzie repeated. "Anyway, I should get going. I will...well..."

"You'll let me know how you are, won't you?" Mrs Kent checked with the girl. "When you come back at Christmas? You've been a good friend to Clark, and you're a nice girl."

"Of course," Lizzie said, climbing back onto her bike. "If Clark contacts you...well...tell him that I miss him."

"He has only been gone a day." Martha said, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

"I know," Lizzie said, pushing at her pedal to even them out. "I do miss him though."

"He will miss you too." She promised her back. "Good luck with everything, Liz."

"Thank you, Mrs Kent," Lizzie said. "I'll see you...well..."

"One day," Martha nodded to her.

The young girl smiled and began to bike away down the dirt track. Martha stood and watched her with a look of sadness covering her face. Clark had come back to his mother, telling her of everything that had happened between him and Lizzie. He even told her that he kissed her. Martha had taunted him for a few moments before coming to realise the extent of her son's feelings.

And he was leaving.

It saddened her, of course it did. But she had no doubt that he would find someone eventually. It may be Lizzie, or it may be someone else. Both of them would end up happy, she knew that much.

...

Clark had been gone for three months. He had left and he had not returned to Smallville. He had written to his mother on multiple occasions. He had promised her that he was safe and had found work. A small fishing boat was willing to take him on. He spent most of his time on the sea, earning as much money as possible.

He lived as normal a life as possible.

He had spent a lot of time wandering around, trying to find his purpose in the world. But nothing had presented itself. He hadn't expected it to. He had never expected for the answer to flash in front of him. It was like Lizzie used to say, staring into space won't give you what you need, only you can do that. He found himself reciting Lizzie for a while.

And so Clark had tried to live an ordinary life. He needed money. That was the main reason for his working on sea. He didn't know how long his job would last. All he knew was that he smelt of fish all the time. It was hardly a smell which he enjoyed being around.

Before Clark knew it, the weeks were turning into months. And then a month turned into a full year. One Christmas had passed and summer was approaching again. He had turned nineteen without a second glance. He hadn't even gone home in that time.

He hadn't even seen Lizzie in that time.

He persuaded himself that he could see her. He could fly back when he had a week off to himself. It was rare that he had any spare time. Besides, he was trying to fit in and didn't have enough money for a ticket back to the States. He wrote to her, hoping that she received the letters.

He addressed them to her house back in Kansas. Her parents shouldn't read her mail, it wasn't right.

He would figure something out, he was positive of it.

...

It was another Friday night at New York College. Elizabeth had passed her first year of her degree and was now waiting for her mother to come and pick up all of her stuff and drive her back to Kansas. Her roommate had let before she had, telling her that she would see her the following year. Lizzie smiled and agreed.

She had been back to Kansas for Christmas and Spring Break. Nothing had changed. Nothing was different. She had spent most of her time indoors, studying for the end of year exams. She hadn't seen Mrs Kent, or any sign of Clark. That had hurt her.

She had asked if any letters had been sent to her from Clark, but her parents informed her that her mail was simply bank statements and junk mail.

She had heard nothing of Clark.

She was beginning to wonder if she should lose hope. She wondered if he would come back. There wasn't a day that went by when she didn't think of him. Her parents had urged her to move on, telling her that she had plenty of friends at college who cared for her.

She supposed they were right in a way.

Lizzie had turned back into her usual self at college, becoming social and surrounding herself with many friends. Clark had told her that she would be fine. And she was fine.

She hated to admit it, but she was fine with everything. She couldn't let Clark's absence ruin her. She was young and needed to realise that she had everything to come in her life.

She would have written to Clark, but she didn't have any address and she had heard nothing from Mrs Kent. She shook her head, pushing her thoughts from her mind before standing up. She moved around the small room, placing more of her belongings into cardboard boxes. A sudden knock on the door snapped her from her thoughts.

She tucked her hair behind her ears and pulled her skinny jeans further onto her hips. Moving to the door, she glanced through the peep hole to see James stood there. Unknowingly, a smile crept onto her face as she opened the door and dropped a hand to her hip.

"Ah, my beautiful Lizzie." He drawled out.

She rolled her eyes, continuing to stand in the doorway and block him from entering the room. "What do you want, James? I'm packing."

"I thought you would be," he replied. "That is why I came to ask if you needed any help. A strong guy like me can be handy to have around."

"You're too late," Lizzie replied. "I've packed most things. I just have the bedding to take off in the morning, and I don't think that will be much of a struggle, do you?"

"You never know," James replied to her. "Besides, I thought I would come and say goodbye to you...and my dorm is extremely quiet tonight. Most of them have left for the summer."

"Join the club," Elizabeth complained. "Amelia left the other day. The room has been empty without her."

"And that is why I'm here," he smiled at her, clapping his hands once.

She looked at him with an arched brow.

"Really?"

"And to push my luck one more time," he admitted to her.

Elizabeth laughed, leaving the door open for him to come in. He closed it behind himself, watching as she moved into the bathroom, pushing her hair behind her ears and waiting for James to say something. He moved quickly, looking at the mirror on her desk to make sure his blonde hair was in place and there was no remains of shaving cream on his clean cut chin.

"How many times have you pushed your luck this year?"

"Not enough because you haven't agreed."

"And I've told you before, there are plenty of other girls out there for you," Lizzie replied, resting her hands on the basin, bowing her head as she thought about James. The boy who studied Psychology. The boy who had spent the past year pursuing her, only for her to turn him down at every opportunity. And she didn't know why.

Was she waiting for Clark?

Was she really spending her days counting down until he came back?

She felt like she was, but she wasn't too sure. She had heard nothing from him. What if he didn't come back? What if he found someone else?

But he had promised her. He had promised her that he would come back to her. He would see her again. She believed him, she truly did. She just didn't know when she would see him next. A year had passed and there had been nothing thus far. How long would it go on for? Would she ever be able to recover from Clark?

"None of them are you, Lizzie," James promised her. "You know that none of them have caught my eye. What's holding you back?"

"You know. I'm too focused on my degree. I need this, and I need a job out of it."

"You also need a social life," he assured her. "You have that. I wouldn't distract you from anything. I am asking for a date, Lizzie, not your soul."

She moved out from the bathroom then, a hand on her hip as she did so. She looked at him for a moment, wondering if she should take his offer up.

"I will tell you what," Lizzie said, taking a deep breath before looking at him again. "If you still feel the same after summer, then I will go on a date with you. And I need to feel the same too. Okay?"

James couldn't help but feel a fist pump radiate through him. He could make it through summer, he was sure of it. If he had made it through an entire year then summer should be no issue to him. He nodded in agreement with her, doing his best to compose himself.

"That's cool," he agreed lamely with her. "We'll just see how we feel."

Lizzie did her best to contain her laughter, a small smirk coming from her as she watched him attempt to control himself in front of her. She shook her head, crossing her arms over the sheer blouse which she wore.

"Fine," Lizzie said. "So, I guess this is goodbye for now, isn't it? Have a good summer, James. Try not to forget about me." She teased him.

"Oh, I will do my best not to," he promised her. "Would a goodbye hug be too much to ask for?"

"Probably not," she promised him.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly and closing his eyes with content. Lizzie tried to relax, but her eyes remained wide open. She remained stood there, her mind whirling as she wondered what she had just agreed to.

"Anyway, you should go," Lizzie informed him, pulling back after a moment. "I need to be up early in the morning. So do you."

"True," James said, moving back to the door. "Have a good break, Lizzie. Stay in touch, okay?"

"Yeah," she agreed, trying to fake enthusiasm. "I'll see you in the fall."

...

Clark sat at a desk in a room which he was renting out. It was unusual to have time away from the sea. He wrote on paper again to his mother, assuring her that he was safe and fine at work. And then he wrote to Lizzie. He wrote to her whenever he wrote to his mother.

The major difference was that his mother always replied to him.

Lizzie had never replied to one of his letters. He left her his address, begging her to respond. He wanted to hear from her. He didn't have enough money to fly back to the states, and he was determined not to use his powers. He was trying to be normal. He informed his mother that she had not responded and she had gone to her house to see if her parents were giving her the letters. They said that they were. What more could Martha do? She had asked for another address for Clark to write to Lizzie and they had given her one. Martha didn't understand it herself. Lizzie still wasn't replying to Clark.

It was even the right address, she had checked it. But there was nothing.

If only she knew that Mr and Mrs Lowe were intercepting Lizzie's mail. Apparently they had the power to do that if they had the money.

And so Clark waited.

He hoped that she would understand. He had explained it in plenty of his letters.

Maybe she didn't understand. Maybe she was ignoring him for not coming to her. Clark didn't think that she would do that. He didn't think that she would be petty.

And so he wrote. He wrote time after time, begging her to reply. He wrote until he didn't know what he was going to do.

...

A/N: Just a short filler chapter before I get into Man of Steel. Only then will the interesting events begin! I do hope that you will let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

It would be the following summer when Clark would see Lizzie again. He had been working on the fishing boat for a while. He was amazed that he had survived so long on it. He was always being a liability. He couldn't stand it anymore. He asked for time off and it was happily given to him. Clark knew that term time at Lizzie's university would be coming to an end. He intended to take a plane over there and see her, demanding for the reasons why she had never wrote back to him.

Two years had passed and he had not heard from her. Not one day went past where he didn't think of her. He thought of the life he had left back in Kansas. The life which had taken hold of him when he was a seventeen year old boy, spending the summer with Lizzie.

He wanted a bit of that back for a while. He had saved enough money for a return ticket, choosing to spend most of his wages on it and live off of toast. He knew that he looked a mess as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror of the airport. His beard had grown out of control and his face had become more defined as a twenty year old man. He slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and left the arrival lounge, looking around JFK airport.

New York seemed bigger than Clark had thought it would be. He truthfully didn't know what he had expected from it. Lizzie had always told him tales of the city that never sleeps. He tried to hail a cab, holding his hand and waiting for an answer. He got nothing. Yellow vehicles drove straight past him, ignoring him as if he was invisible.

It took ten minutes before one stopped for him, informing Clark that he could tell that 'he was not from around here.' Clark listened to the mindless chatter of the driver after telling him where he wanted to go.

Finding New York University was not a problem, navigating the campus was. Clark looked for the main reception before asking where Elizabeth Lowe was staying. The woman looked at him hesitantly, knowing that she shouldn't give out names and addresses. Clark lied, saying that he was related to her and needed to see her immediately. The woman mellowed then, telling the boy that a member of security would walk him to her dorm.

But he had no need for that to happen.

As soon as they were outside Clark saw her. In the midst of the concrete jungle he saw her walking by. The guard asked if something was the matter and Clark shook his head, telling him that he had found his sister.

The guard nodded and let him be.

Clark's eyes widened as he saw her walking, a different satchel hung on her shoulder. She wore a flowing pink skirt, a sheer white blouse tucked into it. Her blonde hair had been cut, allowing it to hang nicely on her shoulders. Clark could tell that she had put on a bit of weight, her hips and chest seemed more prominent. She was still small with stumpy legs now.

He watched as she laughed, her face lighting up and Clark felt his pulse race at the sight. She walked by the side of another boy. He was tall and blonde, his face sporting a large nose and plump lips. A book was stuffed under his arm. He wore simple jeans and a tight fitted shirt.

But it was not his appearance which got to Clark.

It was the way he was looking at Lizzie. He was smiling down at her as if she was the best thing he had seen. He was looking at her with clear devotion.

He was looking at her like Clark once had done.

A lump formed in Clark's throat and he felt himself wondering what to do. Should he go and interrupt them? Should he go and present himself. He felt out of place in the college.

"Lizzie," Clark whispered her name, the sound foreign on his tongue after two years.

She continued to walk by, moving straight past him on the other side of the grass which separated them. Clark watched as she adjusted her satchel on her shoulder. Maybe they were just friends. Maybe there was nothing between them. Clark didn't want to believe it.

But he couldn't help but think it.

She hadn't written to him in over two years. She hadn't replied to his letters. And he had sent multiple ones to her college and to her home. It had been two years. What had Clark expected? Did he expect her to wait for him? Did he expect her to spend her time mourning over him?

No, he supposed not.

He just didn't expect this.

A small flurry of hope joined in with his longing as she moved to run a hand down her hair, tucking it behind her ear like she normally did. It was when she lowered her hand did the hope evaporate from Clark. The boy next to her grabbed her hand; entwining his fingers into hers and bending down to quickly kiss her on the cheek.

And she smiled back.

She looked back at him with a grin. She looked back at him like she had done with Clark.

He watched as they rounded the corner and he shook his head. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. She'd moved on from him. She'd found someone else.

Clark placed a hand over his mouth, walking in the opposite direction back to the main street. He pushed past the people there, his mind a blur with activity. He didn't know what to think. He had gone to New York to find out the truth from her.

And now he couldn't look at her without feeling pain.

After finding a quiet spot, he bent down on the ground, launching himself into the daytime sky before flying back to the one place he knew he could find comfort.

...

Martha Kent had gone the past two years without seeing her son. She couldn't deny the pain which she felt when she realised how alone she was in the house. She had Hank, of course, but he was hardly much company in his growing age.

Her days were filled with routine. Go to work, come home, clean and cook. She waited for the day until Clark returned to her. So when she saw him walking up her path on that morning, she couldn't hide the joy which pulled at her face. She dropped the ball she had been throwing to Hank and rushed forwards, knowing full well that it was her son.

Clark forgot about Lizzie after seeing his mom rush towards him. He held his duffel bag and opened one arm, allowing her to wrap both of hers around him. He felt content for a moment, closing his eyes as she held him tightly.

"Oh, Clark," she whispered. "Clark, my baby boy...you've come home..."

"I had to see you, mom," Clark admitted to her. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Martha said. "More than you can even know."

She pulled back after a moment, running her hand down the beard which sat on his chin. She clearly wasn't impressed with it.

"Oh, Clark, why do you have that thing growing on your chin?" she wondered. "You look a mess, you know that?"

Clark smirked for a moment, running his hand over it.

"I thought I looked manlier," he challenged her.

She scoffed at that. "You look a mess."

Clark said nothing as Hank began to scratch at his legs. Clark took a few moments to pet the dog, rubbing its soft spot behind its ear as his mother watched him with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered. "I thought that you were busy at work."

"I was," Clark said. "I got some time off and saved for a plane ticket."

"You should have said," his mother said. "I would have picked you up from the airport."

Clark shook his head at her. "No, I...well...I flew...I got the ticket to New York."

Martha took a few moments to put two and two together as Clark continued stroking Hank, who had now rolled on his back to receive a belly rub.

"You went to see Lizzie," she declared.

"That was the intention. I managed to get a cab to the University."

"Then what happened?" Martha wondered from him. "I bet she was happy to see you, wasn't she?"

Clark kept his head down, unable to look at his mother for fear of allowing tears to roll down his cheek. He wanted to cry, he really did. But crying would achieve nothing. It would not make anything better.

"I didn't talk to her...I...I saw her with someone else, mom."

Martha sighed loudly, shaking her head and resting her hand on her forehead. "She found another boy?"

"Looks like it," Clark said. "They were holding hands, and she never wrote to me. What did I expect? I can hardly lock her in a tower until I come back from my journey...I might never come back..."

"You should have asked her why she never replied to you," Martha scolded her son lightly. "You should have waited for her to be alone. She would have spoken to you, Clark. You know that. You need to speak with her. Maybe there is a reason why she isn't getting her letters?"

"I thought that at first," Clark admitted. "I thought that maybe her parents would give her them...but...well...they're not honest people, are they? I think they've kept them. But...you checked on her New York address and she has never written back to them. That makes no sense, mom."

"I know," Martha admitted, biting down on her bottom lip. "I could go and speak to Mr and Mrs Lowe...tell them not to be so cruel..."

"No," Clark said. "I need to know if they have been keeping them from her; or if she doesn't want to know me."

"Okay," Martha agreed to that request. "You go on and talk to them. It will put your mind at ease."

"Hopefully," Clark agreed.

His mother took the bag he was holding from him, slinging it over her own shoulder and groaning under the weight.

"You can drive the car," she told him. "I'll make dinner for you...potato and beef...is that okay?"

"Whatever you cook is fine by me," Clark promised his mother as she dug the car keys from her pocket. She passed them to her son as he kissed her on the cheek.

She watched as he drove away and she couldn't help but smile a sad smile. Her son was home for a small amount of time, but he was conflicted. She didn't know what to think.

...

Clark pulled up outside Lizzie's house, locking the truck and making sure that he had not dented it. The bumps around it showed that his mother had managed to damage it enough. He looked up her garden path again, slowly walking to the door before he knocked on it. He kept his head down; making sure that no one recognised him. He doubted they would now. His appearance had changed quite a bit.

But Clark recognised Mr Lowe as soon as he opened the door. He hadn't aged a day. Daniel Lowe stood at the door, studying the man who was in front of him. It took him a few moments to see the boy who Lizzie had been friends with.

"Kent?" he checked.

"Yes, Mr Lowe," Clark replied, his voice gruff as he did so. "I need to speak to you about Elizabeth."

"Who is it?" Mrs Lowe called out to her husband. "Daniel, you're letting a draft in."

Clark inwardly groaned as he saw Ellie Lowe appear at the door. She hadn't changed either. She still looked like the stern faced woman who had disliked Clark from the moment Lizzie invited him home and she heard the rumours about him. She frowned, taking in his dishevelled appearance.

"Clark," she spoke, shock apparent in her tone. "What are you doing here? Elizabeth is at college. She is making something of her life."

Clark heard the swipe from the woman, but he did not flinch. He did not move. He simply ground his teeth together and continued to watch her.

"I know that, Mrs Lowe," he said. "She will have finished her second year. I haven't heard from her in a while though. I wrote to her. I wrote to her every three weeks."

"We know," Mrs Lowe said. She didn't even try to deny the truth. What was the point? She wouldn't let him anywhere near her daughter. She had managed not to for a long time. "Lizzie has moved on, Clark. We didn't need you writing to her and messing with her mind."

"I wrote to her in New York," Clark replied. "She never replied to those letters."

"Well, no," Mrs Lowe said with a shake of her head. "We had those letters kept from her too. She was a wreck over the summer. She kept herself alone in her room...crying over you...we didn't want you to write to her and keep her waiting for you. She deserves someone better. She needs to move on with her life."

"You had no right to keep the letters from her," Clark shook his head. "I thought that she had forgotten about me. I thought..."

"No," Mr Lowe stepped in, seeing the anguish on the boy's face. "Lizzie has never forgotten about you. She never will. We just wanted her to move on, Clark. We couldn't stand to see her moping around the house. University has given her a new wave of life."

"I respect that," Clark said. "I just wanted to make sure that she was alright."

"She's doing well," Ellie stepped in. "She's one of the top of her class in politics. She has a social life. She has everything which she needs. She also has a loving boyfriend."

Clark tried to feign a look of surprise on his face, but it didn't come naturally to him. Mr Lowe turned to his wife, shaking his head back and forth as he did so.

"Is now the time, El?" he wondered.

"Yes," she snarled back to her husband, still disapproving of being overruled. "Now is the time. He needs to know that she has moved on. She has found someone else, and he is good for her. He isn't the talk of the town, he doesn't slack at school, he doesn't have abnormal qualities. James is good for Elizabeth. The pair of them will go far, I am sure of it. She deserves that, doesn't she? She deserves someone stable in her life." She turned her glare back to Clark. "Your changed her, and not for the better. There was a day in summer when she came home with a black eye. She was hit for defending you."

"Who would do that?" Clark whispered.

"Everyone who had something against you," Mrs Lowe said.

"Honey, that's the phone," Mr Lowe suddenly spoke as a ringing sound came from the living room. "Go and answer it, would you? I will show Clark out."

"You stay away from my daughter. She's moved on from you. She's happy now; she doesn't need you messing with her mind."

"Okay, go," Daniel spoke, pushing her from the door as he closed it behind him. Clark walked by Daniel's side, his eyes lowered as he thought about what he had just heard.

"Is it true?"

"What part?" Daniel wondered.

"She was beaten up?"

Daniel sighed, running a hand through his receding hairline. He would never forget the moment his daughter had walked in with a blooded lip and a black eye.

"Whitney Fordman had her cornered," Daniel admitted. "People began to doubt what you had done to him. He demanded her to say that you had smashed the wall. He wanted you ousted as a freak. Lizzie refused to tell them. She said that Whitney had hit her around until an old woman threatened to call the police."

Clark couldn't believe what he had just heard. He shouldn't have left her.

"She came home and put on a brave face in front of her mom," Daniel said, looking to the sky as he placed his hands into his trouser pockets. Clark studied him with intent. "I took her a glass of water up later. She was crying, saying how she couldn't wait to leave Smallville. She couldn't wait to get away from Whitney. But she was scared that you would come back and she wouldn't be here. She was scared of never seeing you again. Her mom told her to grow up...I told her that she needed to move on."

Clark gulped loudly. "I told her that I would come back."

"I don't doubt your honesty," Daniel said, looking back at Clark. "But she is my daughter, Clark. She is my little girl. I didn't want her to wait for you. I didn't want her to live her life through you. She's bright, beautiful and has potential. She doesn't deserve to spend her time looking out a window for you, does she?"

"No," Clark whispered. "But...why did you not give her my letters?"

"Because she would still be reading them at this moment in time. She would never have let go. She would never have moved on...and...we needed to see her happy again. She had to put you behind her. You just left, Clark. You didn't tell her how long you would be. We still don't know why you left."

"Personal reasons," Clark grunted out.

"And do you intend to come back to Smallville?"

"Probably not," Clark admitted to him.

"You don't know what you are doing with your life, Clark, and that is fine. Just don't drag Lizzie into your mess. Don't make her give up her life for you."

Clark had nothing to say in response to that. What could he say? He could see their reasons for doing what they did. Their daughter had been hurt and depressed. Clark had never thought of it like that before. He had never thought that she would be so depressed by his leaving.

"She has a boyfriend," Clark whispered.

"James," Daniel nodded. "He's a good kid. He's a psychology student. She brought him home at Christmas...he...he loves her, Clark."

"Does she love him?" Clark wondered.

"I don't know," Daniel admitted. "In time, she could. In time she could come to love him, I have no doubt. He is good for her, Clark. He is stable. You're not. If you go to her now, you won't stay with her. You'll leave her, won't you?"

Clark couldn't answer that, knowing full well that he had no choice but to leave her. He preferred places where there was a lack of human interaction. New York wasn't that place for him. He still needed to find out what he was for his father and himself. But he could find a job near her. He could be with her again. But would she want him? It had been too long. Could he stay put for that amount of time? In a city so big?

Daniel listened to Clark's silence. "If you go to her and leave her again, I don't know if she would cope. I don't know how much she could take. She pretends to be strong, but you know Lizzie. She's all front. You want her to be happy, don't you, Clark?"

"More than anything," Clark replied in a whisper.

"Then leave her be," Daniel begged. "Please, son, leave her be."

"I...I do miss her..."

"I understand that," Daniel said with a nod. "But she has been through enough with you. You will find someone else, Clark. I do not doubt it. You can move on, just like she has done. You're both young. There is more to life, trust me."

Clark questioned that statement at that moment in time. He nodded at Daniel, running a hand down his beard as he reached for his car keys.

"Go back to your mother," Daniel urged him, "and leave Liz alone. Leave her to her degree, please."

Clark could say no more for fear of breaking down in front of Lizzie's father. Daniel stepped back as Clark climbed into the car and drove off down the street, only then allowing a tear to spill down his cheek.

...

A/N: Another chapter for today! Hope you enjoy it! Slowly move into Man of Steel soon!


	10. Chapter 10

Clark was struggling to believe what he had heard. He had returned home and left the car in the drive. He could feel his pulse quickening, urging him to make some form of destruction. All he wanted at that moment was to go into the forest and pull trees from their roots. All he wanted was a way to vent the frustration which he felt. The frustration he had for Mr and Mrs Lowe. The frustration he had for his unread letters. But mostly the frustration for himself.

He did none of those things. He pulled the keys from the ignition and walked back into his house. He left the keys on the sideboard, hearing his mother in the kitchen, slamming pots and pans around. Calmly, he walked towards her, his footsteps quiet as he came to see her chopping up carrots. She dropped the knife as soon as she saw her son, drying her hands on the towel.

"What happened?" she wondered.

"They've kept the letter from her," Clark whispered. "They had someone intercept them whilst she was at college. They...they did it to protect her."

"What?" Martha wondered, not too sure how that was protecting. "Why would they do that? She has a right to speak with you-"

"-Whitney Fordman beat her because of me," Clark whispered; his voice calm and collected. His mother had never heard him like that before. He had left her two years ago with desperation, and now he had come back, the same desperation occupying his features. "She was hurt trying to defend me. Her parents wanted me gone as soon as that happened. She spent that summer in her room, crying over me, mom...I did that to her..."

"Clark," Martha whispered, moving to her son. "You didn't do that to her."

"I may as well have," Clark replied as his mother wrapped him into her arms. "I hurt her, mom...I knew that she would be sad...I just didn't know how much...I told her that I would come back...I promised her that..."

"But you didn't say when," Martha said. "I know how she feels, Clark. I've spent most of my time wondering when you could come back to me."

"I wrote to you," Clark defended. "She heard nothing from me. They kept the letters from her to make her carry on. They couldn't stand to see her upset. I understand why they did it, mom. Lizzie shouldn't spend her time waiting for me, should she? That would be selfish of me. I couldn't cope if that happened."

Martha pulled back from her son for a moment, looking at him as a small tear rolled down his cheek. She pushed it away from his pale skin, a lump forming in her throat.

"What are you going to do, Clark?"

He said nothing for a moment, wondering what would be the best thing for him to do. He wasn't staying in the states. He was going back to his job, and he was going to try and find himself. Lizzie was important to him, but his father had been important too. It was his father who wanted him to find out the truth. Clark had to do that.

"If I see her then I risk ruining what she has," Clark spoke. "She was happy, mom. She had someone who was there for her constantly. I can't be that to her...I can't...she can't spend another summer in her room because of me."

Martha couldn't say anything in response to her son. It was his decision, he had to be the one to decide what was for the best.

"Even after two years...you still love her..." Martha whispered to her son.

Clark couldn't say anything to that. Did he love Lizzie? Did he know what love was? Clark didn't know, but he didn't doubt what his mother had said.

...

Lizzie yawned loudly as she went down to check for her mail. It was kept in pigeonholes in the college building, building up and waiting for students to get it. She yawned as she held her satchel tight on her body. She wore her leather jacket over her black vest top and blue skinny jeans. She was heading out for her first lecture of the final semester. She had been at university for three years, still managing to come top in her class. She had a lack of a social life because of it.

Most of the times she went out with James. She couldn't believe that she was with him after a full year. She had never seen that happening.

Shaking her head, she reached into the pigeonhole where all of the surnames beginning with L were collected. She flicked through them until she came to Lowe. There was a Mary Lowe, but nothing for a Elizabeth Lowe. She didn't know why she bothered checking her mail, there never was anything. Placing it back, she noted a small letter which had found itself stuffed at the back of the pigeonhole, folded in half. She picked it up and unfolded it, preparing to put it back on the pile before she saw who it was addressed to her.

It was for her. Elizabeth Lowe. She placed all of the other letters back, looking at the handwriting on the front of it. She felt her heart quicken. She knew that writing from anywhere. She knew it instantly. The letter was old, she could tell from when it had been dated on the envelope. It had been in that pigeonhole since winter.

Elizabeth left the mailroom, the letter in her shaking hands before she rushed back to her room, completely forgetting about the lecture she was supposed to be on the way to. She dug into her jean pocket, pulling the key out and unlocking her shared room. She was glad Amelia had already left for Biology that morning. Dumping her satchel on the ground, she took a seat on her bed, tearing at the envelope. She ripped it to shreds, dragging the letter out from its hiding place.

She read and re-read it, unable to believe what she was seeing. It was him. He had written to her. He hadn't forgotten her. Lizzie kept hold of the letter with both hands, her eyes scanning Clark's words as she read them. He had sent letters to her at college and at home. He had begged her to reply, urging her to tell him that she wasn't mad at him leaving. He left his address at the end of the letter after saying how he had been away on a fishing boat. He'd been working to earn some money to come and visit her.

Lizzie's brow furrowed as she thought about his comments. She had never heard of him writing to her. She hadn't been given any letters.

She dived onto the floor, rummaging through her satchel for her cell. She pulled it out, instantly scrolling down to find her home phone number in Kansas. She dialled it, waiting for someone to answer her call. She failed to care about the one hour time difference as her father picked the phone up.

"Hello?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lizzie snapped, standing back on her feet as she paced her room, her eyes still looking at the letters. "Clark said that had written to me. He said that he wrote to me here and at home."

"Lizzie," Daniel sighed, shaking his head as she heard him sigh down the phone. "We didn't want you to keep in contact with him, Liz. He was trouble for you. You saw what he did to you over the summer. You couldn't spend your entire life waiting for him, could you?"

Lizzie glowered, shaking her head back and forth as she snarled back; "That was not your decision to make! I am old enough to open my own mail! I thought that he hated me! I thought that he had left me and forgotten about me! And how did you stop the mail at my college? Don't tell me you had someone intercept it?"

A silence fell over the pair of them, Lizzie shaking her head in disbelief as she clutched the phone tightly in her grasp.

"We tried to do the best for you," he replied to her. "We love you, Lizzie. You're our little girl."

"I am almost twenty one," Lizzie replied. "You don't tell me what to do, dad. You don't get to keep things from me...things which can change everything..."

"We thought that we were helping you," Daniel admitted. "Clark destroyed you, Lizzie. You've managed to get over him now. You have James and a good chance at education. You know that. Don't throw it all away because of him."

Lizzie could say nothing back to her father, the shock only just beginning to sink in about what she had just heard. She still struggled to believe what her parents had done. She hadn't thought it possible.

"Just send me the letters," Lizzie sighed. "I have lectures go to."

"Liz, honey, please listen to me-"

"-Like I said," she interrupted, "I have lectures to go to. Send me them."

"Don't let him ruin you again, Liz. Don't let him do that. He came here before the summer...he...he knows that we kept them from you."

"He knows," Lizzie whispered. "What did he say? What did you tell him?"

"We told him to leave you alone," Daniel admitted. "We told him not to contact you. He knows that you've moved on past him. He is willing to accept that, Lizzie. The letters mean nothing now. He's gone again...no one knows where...don't try to trace him, Lizzie. He's not worth it, honey."

"Don't tell me if he is worth it. Clark...my God...Don't bother trying to change anything. Send me the letters."

"No, Lizzie-"

"-Send them to me," Lizzie demanded again, hanging up on her father without any goodbyes. She shook her head, unable to believe what she had just heard. She needed to write to him as soon as possible. She scrambled around her room, pulling out a piece of paper from her notebook. She began to write on it, pleading with Clark not to be angry with her, telling him that she had no idea what had happened.

She grabbed the envelope and scribbled down his name and address, rushing out of her room to send it as soon as she could.

...

Clark had been working as a waiter for quite some time now. He had moved from his old apartment, having no choice but to do that. He had saved people from an oil rig explosion. They thought him dead. He couldn't work on the boat anymore after that. He packed up and left, gathering his possessions in a duffel bag. The woman who owned the apartment where he lived looked at him with an arched brow.

"Do you want us to send you any post which comes to your new address?" he asked her.

He shook his head, moving from the apartment to the open world once.

It was the following day when Lizzie's letter arrived and was left there to gather dust.

...

Lizzie waited for days on end for Clark to write back to her, but it never came. He never replied to her, and she could feel herself losing hope. She spent the rest of the semester holding onto his letters, clutching them to her chest and reading them over and over again. She did her best in lectures, but struggled. She struggled with everything as she waited for Clark to respond.

It never happened. He never wrote back to her. She thought that he had given up on her then. She couldn't help but think of that. She urged him not to listen to her parents; she did want to speak with him. She couldn't move on knowing what they had done to her, knowing that they had lied to her.

It was during the course of her final year when she fell apart. Her grades slipped, her attendance slipped. She was distracted, she knew that much. She ended up spending as much time as possible in the library, trying to make sense of everything which she was reading. But none of it made that much sense.

Her parents were worried for her, constantly urging her to forget about Clark Kent. He wasn't around her anymore. He was a childhood crush, a futile fancy, not someone who she could ever love. Lizzie did her best to ignore her parents, refusing to speak to them after what they had done.

And all they could do was watch as their daughter went back into her state of longing for Clark Kent.

...

A/N: Thank you to everyone reading and I hope you'll let me know what you think so far!


	11. Chapter 11

Daniel could see when his daughter was suffering. She had returned for Spring Break. She had resented coming home, but her parents had forced her. She told them that she had to stay in her room and study. She needed to revise for the end of year exams.

Ellie and Daniel had heard how their daughter was struggling. Apparently she seemed distracted. Even James had phoned them, obviously worried about his girlfriend. She hadn't been the same for a while. She hadn't been herself since one morning when he went to see her. She had sat on her bed, holding a letter to her hand, refusing to let it go.

He knew that he needed to do something. He needed to do something to save her from a path of self destruction.

That was how he found himself at the Kent residence, knocking on the front door. He was well aware that his wife would have disapproved of him going there. It took a few moments before Mrs Kent walked out, looking at Daniel with an arched brow. She folded her arms across her chest in a defensive manner, clearly not wanting the man to be on her porch.

"What do you want?" she snapped at him. "Clark isn't here."

"Lizzie knows," Daniel said simply. "She knows what we did. She knows that we hid the letters from her."

"And how is that my issue?" Martha wondered. "You kept them from her."

"We did it to protect her."

"So you say," Martha replied. "The girl deserved to know that my son hadn't forgotten her. She's a lovely young lady. She deserves the truth."

"And she has it now," Daniel said, shaking his head back and forth before looking to the sky. He couldn't believe he was doing this. "She wrote to Clark. He hasn't replied to her...she's worried about him."

Martha's brow furrowed as she took a few moments to think. How did she get Clark's address? She must have found it in the letters. But that wasn't the same address which he now used. He'd moved on, deciding to spend some time travelling and finding work on the way. Even she didn't have a permanent address for him. He phoned her sometimes, calling from payphones. He'd been working as a waiter, but had decided to quit after he dropped a beer on the floor and received another telling off.

"I don't have an address for him at the moment. Clark has gone travelling," Martha admitted to Daniel. "I'll send you it as soon as I find it out."

"Thank you," Daniel said. He was grateful for that at least.

"How is she?" Martha wondered.

Daniel shook his head then, burying his hands in his trouser pockets as he thought about the question. How was she?

"Not good," he admitted bluntly. "She was doing well until she found an old letter in her pigeonhole at college. She was angry with us, but now she won't talk to us. Her mother keeps telling her to grow up...tells her that Clark meant nothing to her."

"And what do you tell her?"

Daniel took a moment to think. "I told her the same thing to start off, and then her grades began to slip. Her boyfriend called us out of worry. Now...if Clark was a futile crush then she wouldn't have responded like this, would she?"

Martha agreed with a small grunt. "I know. Tell her that I will talk to him. She needs to get her degree; Gods know she's smart enough to do that."

"We know it," Daniel spoke. "We just need her to know it."

...

It was another week before Clark phoned his mother again. He had found another job in a restaurant somewhere, serving food as a waiter. She had told him everything that had happened. She told him how Lizzie had found his letters and written back to him.

"So you've basically missed each other because of those hidden letters," Martha clarified. "She's back at home; the poor thing is struggling on her course because of all of this. She wrote to you, and you never wrote back. She thought that you hated her for going years without replying. She still doesn't know what to think, Clark. The poor girl...with parents like that then she has to be messed up..."

"What should I do?" Clark wondered from his mother. "I can't go back to her. I can't drop everything here to go back to her, can I? I'm still travelling. She does need to know that I am...well...I'm coping. I need her to do the same."

"Write to her whilst she is at home," Martha urged her son. "Tell her that you're safe. She'll appreciate it, I'm sure of it."

"I don't doubt that," Clark replied. "Will a letter ease her?"

"Hopefully."

That wasn't the confident answer which Clark had wanted to hear from his mother. He shook his head and ran his hand over his temple, thinking about what he could do. He needed Lizzie to be fine. He needed her to continue on with her life. How could he urge her to do that in a letter?

"I've got to go, mom. You take care of yourself."

"You too, honey. Call again soon, okay?"

"Of course. Love you."

"I love you too, Clark."

Clark hung up and checked into the nearest motel, leaving his bag there for the night before deciding what he had to do for the best.

...

Standing outside her house after three years was the strangest thing which Clark had done. He looked up to her window, the light glaring out. He doubted it had changed at all. He assumed that it would all be the same. And she was in there. She was sat in there, probably working knowing her. What did he say to her when he went in? What did he tell her?

He didn't know, but he knew that standing in her back garden was achieving nothing. Clark bit down on his tongue and pushed himself from the ground to hover outside her window. The side pane was wide open, allowing the fresh air into her room.

She was stood there, wrapped in a towel with her hair hanging past her shoulders and down her back. He could have sworn that it had been shorter last time. Clark didn't dwell on it, deciding it for the best to land on her sill. He stood there, watching her for a few moments before he announced himself.

"Lizzie."

She yelled then, screaming as loud as possible as she turned around to the window, her pulse racing and her face reddening. Clark continued to watch her for a few moments, wondering what was happening as she jumped back, clutching the towel to her chest.

And then she saw who it was. She looked at his strong jaw and his beard covered chin. He looked rugged, dressed in only a white t-shirt and an open blue shirt covering him, along with his jeans. He didn't look like the clean cut boy Lizzie had grown up with. Her mouth was agape as Clark slowly moved to stand on the floor of her room. He used his hearing to sense that there was no one in the house. Her parents must be on another meeting.

"Clark," she spoke back to him. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah," Clark said.

The two of them said nothing more, simply content with their stares for a while. Clark allowed his eyes to roam over her form. She looked thinner than she had done the last time he had seen her in New York. Her face was paler and there was no smile on her lips.

Lizzie couldn't believe what she was seeing anymore. If anything, it looked as if Clark was more muscular than before. She was shocked at the sight of him. Never before did she consider seeing him in her room again.

"Oh God," Lizzie suddenly called out. "I'm in a towel."

"You are," Clark agreed, running a hand down the back of his neck as he nodded.

He turned his head to the side, giving her some privacy whilst she went to grab a bathrobe. She shrugged into it, dropping the towel to the floor and kicking it to the side. Clark kept silent until she had tied the robe around her body.

"I wrote to you," Elizabeth suddenly blurted out to him, her gaze focused intently on the floor as she spoke. "I wrote to you. My parents hid the letters you sent. They kept them from me...I wrote as soon as I found out. You never replied to them."

"I know," Clark agreed.

He could hear Lizzie's breathing sharpen at that, her eyes moving up to look into his as she felt a whole new wave of emotions wash through her.

"I had moved on when you sent them. I've been travelling for the past few months. I never got them, Lizzie," Clark explained. "I came back here last year. I came back...your parents told me what they had done."

"They had no right," Lizzie said, shaking her head back and forth with haste. She still struggled to believe what they had done. Who did they think they were to hide her mail from her? Lizzie didn't know. She knew that it still disgusted her. "I would have wrote, Clark. I would have, you know that, don't you?"

"I know," Clark promised her. "I know, Lizzie. Honestly, I do."

"Okay," Lizzie said; a moment of relief washing over her as she folded her arms over her waist and shifted from one foot to the other nervously. She didn't know what to say to him. What could she say to make everything fine between them after three years?

"You look well," Clark suddenly spoke, unable to take the silence between them.

She peered up at him through her lashes, eyeing him with the beard.

"You look a mess," she replied and he chuckled. There was the Lizzie who he knew.

"I thought that," Clark admitted to her. "I maybe need a shave."

"Maybe," she weakly agreed with his analysis before sobering. "Why are you here, Clark? It has been three years. Why did you come tonight?"

Running a hand down his arm, Clark tried to keep calm in front of her. "Your father went to see my mother."

That seemed to shock her. Clark regarded her with caution as she looked around the room, obviously unable to believe what her father had done.

"He asked for my address. He said that you needed to talk to me. He said that you weren't the same Lizzie who I knew...and he's right, isn't he?"

She couldn't admit to that. She didn't want Clark to think that she was weak and pathetic, even though she felt it. She felt numb when he didn't reply to her. She felt as if he had taken a part of her. It sounded melodramatic, she knew that much.

"I was coping," Elizabeth admitted. "I managed the first two years at university fine, and then I found the letter. I found that and guilt washed over me instantly."

"It shouldn't have," Clark told her. "You have nothing to be guilty for."

"I felt it," she replied with a snort. "I wrote and you never replied. I begged for you to let me know that you didn't hate me. I didn't know what to do, Clark. I thought that I'd hurt you because I never replied...even though I didn't get the letters..."

"Exactly," Clark said to her, daring to take a step closer to her. She ran a shaking hand through her drying blonde hair, looking anywhere but into his eyes. "You have nothing to feel guilty for. Everything is fine now...we know what happened. We know that there was a misunderstanding."

"What my parents did was not a misunderstanding," Lizzie snapped back, her anger coming back to them. She wondered if she could ever forgive them for it.

"They wanted the best for you," Clark said, not too sure why he was defending them. "Don't spend the rest of your time hating them for what they did, Liz."

She felt tears prickle in her eyes. "I don't hate them." She admitted. "They're my parents. I can't hate them."

"They stopped you from spending your time moping after me. They didn't want that, and I didn't want that for you. I wanted you to go to university and carry on. They said that you managed to do that."

Clark didn't mention how he knew of her boyfriend by going to see her that day. He didn't need her to know that. He didn't want to relieve it.

"But knowing that you were safe would have been something," Elizabeth replied.

"I'm a big boy," Clark smirked at her, trying to make her feel better. "I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt it," she promised him. "I just wanted to know for myself that nothing had happened. And now you're here. You're stood in my room again with a beard. The last time you were here you told me that you were leaving."

"I remember," Clark said to her. "I remember all too well."

"Me too," she admitted.

And she did recall it nearly every single day that passed.

Clark could say no more as he watched her move towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself closer to him. That was when the tears flowed freely. It was when they moved down her cheek and landed on his shirt, dampening it. She could do nothing else but hold him. He cautiously placed his own arms around her waist, pressing her tighter to him.

He continued to run his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her. He gulped loudly, knowing that he couldn't spend too long with her. He knew that if he did then he would never want to leave her again. Clark was stuck in a genuine dilemma.

"I miss you," Elizabeth whispered.

"I miss you too," Clark said. "Every single day."

She pulled back from him after a second, her hands still holding his shoulders. She couldn't believe how muscular his arms felt. It was almost too scary for her to comprehend.

"You're not staying for long, are you?" Lizzie said to him.

"How do you know?" He wondered back. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Because you haven't said anything about finding out who you are," she replied. "That would have been the first discussion point, wouldn't it? It's the reason why you left."

Clark shook his head, his large hands moving to cup her waist. He could hear her pulse quicken at his contact, but he kept quiet. It was hardly the time to say anything about it to her.

"I came as soon as I heard that you're grades were slipping and you'd become...well...not yourself...I couldn't put it in a letter. I needed to come and make sure that you would move on from this. You know that you have to, don't you?" he checked with her.

"You're here to give me a pep talk?" she wondered, a hint of amusement in her voice and on her arched brow. She finally stepped out of Clark's hold, walking around her room to find her hairbrush. She kept herself busy, dragging the brush through her hair as she perched on the edge of her bed.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Lizzie replied. "It just used to be me who gave you the pep talks. I never thought that I would be getting one from you."

"Well, you should prepare to," Clark warned her, sitting beside her on the bed. "The thing is, Lizzie, I don't know how long I will be gone for. I don't know if I will be coming back to Smallville...or the States...I honestly have no idea."

"I know that," Lizzie whispered. "I've known it for a long time. I just need to be sure that you're safe, Clark."

"And I will write to you now," Clark said. "I'll even call you."

Lizzie said nothing, allowing him to continue talking to her.

"The thing is, Liz, that night...the night I left...and we...well..."

"I know," she replied, remembering the kiss.

"I thought that you would be able to carry on. And then your dad told me what Whitney Fordman did to you-"

"-He's not anyone's concern anymore, Clark. Whitney always was a bastard."

"I never thought he would hit you," Clark replied. "I never thought that he would hurt you because of me. I thought it was just taunts."

"I coped," Lizzie promised. She didn't want him to beat himself up because of it. "It was nothing, Clark."

"That's not the point, Lizzie. People have been hurt because of me...you...my dad...my mom hears the whispers...and it is all my fault-"

"-No-

"-Don't interrupt," Clark begged her, daring to envelope both of her hands into one of his large ones. He held them tightly, looking down at the floor as he perched on the very edge of the bed. "It's true, Lizzie. Your parents did the right thing. You may not see it like that, but I do understand."

Clark's thumb moved over her cheek, pushing the tears away from it and smiling at her with a lame smile. He could hardly be enthusiastic about what he was about to tell her. He was sure it would hurt himself as much as it hurt her.

"Your dad told me how you were top of the class. He told me how you had become social again...how you...you even met someone..." he choked the last bit out.

That was when Lizzie looked at him, her eyes wide as she tried to read his hidden face. And then she looked down. What could she say? She couldn't lie to Clark. James meant a lot to her. He'd been a rock to her during the past two years. He'd been with her for so long.

"I spent the first year waiting," Elizabeth admitted. "He kept asking me to go on dates with him...but...I said no..."

"No," Clark said. "I don't want you to wait for me, Lizzie. I don't want you to stop living your life because of me. If he is the one who you want, then...you should go for it."

"How can you say that?" Lizzie asked. "Clark, I care for you as much as I do James."

"But he is here," Clark said. "He is here, and I can't be. I made a promise to myself, Liz. I need to stick by that promise."

"It still hurts, Clark," she murmured. "I think of that night. I think of what it felt like...and...I wondered what we could have had...what we could have...if...you don't know how guilty I feel. Whenever I kiss James...I can't help but think of what you would think. I can't help but think of some part of you, and it rips me up, Clark. It hurts me."

"No," Clark told her, wrapping his arm around her waist and cradling her against his side. She rested her head under his chin, his beard nuzzling the top of her head as he did so. She felt the wave of tears open up then. She couldn't control herself.

"I don't expect you to wait for me," Clark promised her. "That is not what I want you to do."

"But what if you come back?" Lizzie wondered against his shirt. "What if you find out and come back? What happens then?"

"Nothing," Clark replied softly. "You build your own life, Lizzie. You stay with James. Only you can know what you want. I know that I don't want you to stop and wait for me. That is no life, and you deserve so much more."

"So do you," she replied. "Clark, I don't know what I want. I don't know what to do...I'm so lost...I thought you'd forgotten me...I thought you hated me...and I thought you hated me...because of James."

He pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes, resting his forehead against hers as she closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing again. Clark smiled gently at her then, his head shaking back and forth as he continued to hold her.

"I will never hate you," Clark said. "You're an amazing girl, Lizzie. Anyone would be lucky to have you, do you understand? He's a lucky guy, and...and he better treat you well."

She didn't want to nod. She didn't want to upset Clark anymore.

"Don't go," Lizzie suddenly gurgled to him. "Don't leave me again."

"I have to," he said. "I will stay in touch. I promise you that. But you need to look after yourself. You still have to become the first female President."

She snorted a laugh at that, her warm breath hitting Clark's cheeks as he moved his hands down to her neck, holding her softly against him.

"Okay?" Clark checked after a moment as she tried to control her breathing. "You're going to be fine, Liz. I know it. You just have to remember me when you make your inauguration speech."

She laughed at that, her eyes closing as Clark smiled back at her. She moved her own hands to rake through his hair and down his beard.

"Of course I'll mention you. You are the world's first superman, after all."

"Good," Clark replied. "Because you may need my help with the heavy lifting."

"Probably," Lizzie agreed with him, unknowingly moving her lips closer to his. Clark knew what she was doing, and he didn't feel guilty. He knew that she had a boyfriend, but Clark didn't care. He closed the gap between them, pressing his lips against hers and moving her backwards. Lizzie allowed him to take control, lying on her back as he propped himself on his side and continued to kiss her. The feeling of his beard scraping against her chin made her squirm for a moment, but she grew accustomed to it.

Clark pulled his lips from hers after a few moments, knowing full well that he had to control himself. He didn't want to push her too far. He didn't want her to feel guilty at what she had just done.

"Will you stay the night?" Lizzie whispered to him. "Please, don't go yet."

"You're home alone, aren't you?" Clark grinned, remembering her fear.

She smiled at him after that. "Old phobia."

"I'll stay," Clark promised her. "Get some rest, Lizzie. You look terrible."

"Thanks very much," Lizzie replied, turning onto her side and nestling herself against Clark. He said nothing as he draped an arm over her waist and she closed her eyes, her breathing becoming slow.

"Well done for not groping my ass."

Clark chuckled, his body shaking against hers then. "The teenage hormones have settled down." He lied to her.

She hit him on the chest before keeping quiet, slowly falling to sleep in Clark's arms again. Clark said nothing, holding her until the break of the dawn before moving.

He looked down at her sleeping form, doing his best not to disturb her from the peaceful state she found herself in. He wanted to wake her. He stood there and debated what to do. He knew that waking her would prompt another conversation between both of them. She would cry again, and Clark couldn't stand to see that. He couldn't make her sadder than she already was.

He wrote a letter, leaving it on her desk before kissing her on the top of her head, brushing her hair from her face. He moved back to her window, making sure that the sun was still on the way up before he left her behind again.

...

A/N: Another chapter today! I know it is pretty sad at the moment, but it will all get better. I promise you that! Thanks for reading and do review.


	12. Chapter 12

Lizzie awoke early the next morning, resting her arm over her double bed. She fully expected Clark to be there, waiting for her to wake up, but there was no sign of him. She rolled over and looked around her room, realising that it was empty.

"Clark?" she called out to him, wondering where he had gotten to.

Moving from the bed, she walked out of her room to look in the bathroom, but he wasn't there either. She shook her head, wondering if he had left her alone. It was only when she saw the letter on her bedside table did she realise that Clark had gone.

She took a deep breath, taking the letter from its resting place. She opened it up, reading it slowly as a smile fell over her face. He'd gone again, but she didn't feel the overwhelming sense of disbelief that she thought she would. She had dreaded that she would slump back into her depressed state, but that wasn't the case. She knew this time that she most definitely would be hearing from Clark Kent again.

...

"You graduated?" Clark checked with Lizzie as he held the phone to his ear.

He had managed to take hold of the boss's cell, going outside to make a call to her and his mother. She was stood in her room in her dormitory, wondering how long it would take her to pack all of her things away this time. She was treading over boxes as she spoke to Clark, pointing James in the direction of what to pack in which box.

"Yeah," she replied. "Four long years have gone into this. I still can't believe.

"So what did you end up with."

"A bachelor degree in Politics. BA Politics, anyway."

"No honours?" Clark joked with her.

She rolled her eyes, pushing her underwear into her suitcase as James fought with closing a carboard box. "No, I'm afraid not. Wait until I go for a PhD."

"You're not?" Clark replied with a small snort.

"No," she promised him. "I did manage to get an interview though. You would never guess where for."

Clark took a moment to watch as a tow truck came hurtling past him to pick up one car. A large lorry followed that one as Clark turned to look back at the diner. He felt slightly insignificant at that moment in time. He always knew Lizzie was bright, he just didn't think she would be so successful whilst he was stuck working and serving people their food.

"Go on," Clark urged her.

"The Daily Planet," Lizzie said; a tone of excitement in her voice. "I'm not the only one going for it. There are lots of other people too, plus we're in a recession now, so I don't have much hope. I've applied for other papers and places in the government departments in New York."

"So you're not going back to Smallville?" Clark wondered.

"No," she said. "There's nothing in Smallville, is there? I have more chance of finding a job in the big city."

"Do you have a place to live?" Clark wondered from her. "It's alright saying that you'll stay there, you need somewhere to live, Liz."

Lizzie bit down on her bottom lip after she had listened to Clark's question to her. She looked to the side for a moment, her eyes glancing at James. He was still struggling to put all of her belongings in the boxes. He was currently admiring the teddy which she had since she was a little girl.

"James's parents have rented him an apartment near the Metropolis," Lizzie admitted to Clark. "They're letting me stay there rent free until I get a job."

Clark said nothing for a moment, closing his eyes and glancing up to the sky as he did so. He didn't know what he could say back to her. It had been two years since Clark had seen her last. He called her once a month to make sure she was okay. He wrote occasionally too. She rarely mentioned James to him; it was like she was trying to spare his feelings. He promised her that she didn't need to do that.

"What about him? Is he staying with you?" Clark decided to grunt down the phone.

"Yeah," Lizzie agreed slowly. "It's a nice offer from them, really nice. I didn't know if it was taking advantage, but I intend to get a job as soon as possible."

"It sounds pretty serious," Clark observed.

"I suppose so," Lizzie could do nothing but agree. "Anyway, I suppose that's enough about me. Why don't you tell me what's happening with you?"

"Not a lot," Clark replied with a cough. "I'm still waiting on people."

"Nothing on the secret front?" Lizzie wondered.

Clark had gone to find himself, but nothing had happened so far. He kept his head down, trying to live a normal life, hoping that he would find out who he was one day. That day had yet to come, and Lizzie was beginning to wonder if it ever would. He'd been gone for so long, working in places which he hated.

"No," Clark said. "Something will happen."

"Yeah," Lizzie said. What could she do other than agree with him? She needed him to keep hope somehow. She needed him to believe that things would get better, for his sake more than hers.

"You'll have to let me know the new address of the place where you're moving to," Clark told her.

"Of course," she said. "Look, I've got to go, Clark. I have tonnes of packing to do. Look after yourself, okay?"

"Of course," Clark promised her. "Be good, Lizzie."

"When am I anything but?" she teased him, hanging up the call.

Clark listened as the line went dead. He pressed the phone against his chest and took a seat on the steps which led to the kitchen. The cold didn't bother him, it never had done and he doubted it would in the future. He folded his arms over his chest, thinking about what he had just heard. Lizzie was basically moving in with James. She really had managed to move on.

And Clark was happy for her.

He just couldn't help but dream that he was the one she was moving in with.

...

"Clark, you're not getting any younger."

"I'm not even thirty yet."

"My point still stands," Martha replied to her son. "You're getting on. Haven't you thought about finding a job which is worthwhile, instead of travelling and working in all of these down and out places, honey?"

Clark winced for a moment. His mother was speaking the truth, but sometimes the truth hurt him. Clark couldn't help but know that. He shook his head, rolling his eyes as he moved the phone to his left hand and leant against the glass of the booth he stood in.

"I'm still...well...I'm fine, mom. I'm managing okay."

"I know you are," Martha said. She was well aware of that. Clark would always be able to manage on his own. She knew that he was a big boy. "Anyway, what's new in your life? I'm completely fed up here. There are some days when I wish you would just come home."

"One day," Clark replied. "Not a lot is happening, mom. Nothing new has presented itself. Anyway, I hear Lizzie is back in Smallville now."

"Oh, you know about that?" Martha wondered, slightly in shock that Clark knew the news. "I wondered if she told you yet. When did she last write?"

"Last month," Clark said. "She said that she had her flights booked."

"I see." Martha said. Apparently he didn't know then. Martha had only managed to find out because she had bumped into Mr and Mrs Lowe in the store. They were telling everyone the news. They were shouting it from the rooftops.

Martha had smiled, of course she had. What else could she do?

"Why?" Clark asked, sensing the hesitant tone in his mother's voice. "What is it?"

"Well, she has come back," Martha said, wondering how she could tell Clark in the nicest possible way. Nothing could appease him when he found out. "But she came with James."

"Well they are dating," Clark said to his mother. "What did you expect?"

"No," Martha shook her head. "It's not just that, Clark. He's not her boyfriend now."

Martha wondered if her son would manage to understand what she was trying to tell him. She doubted it. Clark never had been one to pick up subtle hints before.

"What is he?" Clark wondered. "Has she left him?"

"No," Martha drawled. "Clark...she's engaged to him..."

That left Clark shocked. He had no comeback to that revelation.

"She's marrying him in the fall in Kansas, Clark." Martha told her son. "You had an idea that this would be coming soon, didn't you?"

"Isn't she a bit too young?" Clark wondered, Martha laughing at her son.

"You sound like her dad," she replied. "She's twenty nine, Clark. She's working for a small Metropolis newspaper...she's grown up. She doesn't look much like the girl you brought home for dinner one night. She's invited me to the wedding. Mrs Lowe gave me the invitation when she saw me. Apparently they were waiting until I popped up. Lizzie came into the store after them; she'd been on the phone or something. She asked about you, Clark. She wondered if she should invite you."

"I don't have the money for a plane," Clark replied. "Why didn't she tell me, mom?"

"She's scared, honey," Martha sighed. "She wants to phone you, but she's scared of what you will say to her."

"I would tell her that I'm happy for her."

"And are you?"

"No," Clark replied bluntly. "He sounds like a nice guy, mom, but...Lizzie...she's...I still care for her. I still wonder what would have happened if I had been normal. I wondered what it would be like."

"I know," Martha whispered. "I know, Clark."

...

Lizzie stayed true to form, calling Clark and writing to him during her stay in Smallville. She told him how she had seen Whitney Fordman and how he had managed to get a girl pregnant and was a single dad. She had snarled at him as he went past, resisting the urge to slap his smug face. Apparently some people never change. She told him of the engagement herself, wishing that she could see him again.

Clark told her that he couldn't come to her wedding. She had fully understood, still wishing that he had been able to come to her. Clark longed for the same, he couldn't deny it. He wanted to see what she looked like. He wanted to see her before she really was taken from him.

And so Clark decided he couldn't stay away. She didn't want him to keep away, and Clark really couldn't stay back. He cared for her too much.

It was the morning of the wedding in the fall. The wind was cool, a small breeze flowing through Smallville. Clark lurked in her back garden, listening to upstairs as he heard Lizzie snap at different people. He could recognise her voice anywhere. Clark wondered if he would be able to catch her by herself without other people. That was all he wanted.

"I need time alone," Lizzie snapped, demanding that everyone leave her alone in her room. "I need to think about everything for a bit."

"You heard her," Ellie Lowe snapped at the others. "Go and wait by the cars."

"That includes you, mother," Lizzie said.

"No," Ellie replied. "I need to speak with you now."

Clark heard other murmurs come from the house, wondering why Lizzie was so wound up with everything. Clark kept his focus on her, using his eyes to look through the house and see her stood in front of her mirror, her hands running down her curled hair.

"What is it?" Ellie wondered from her daughter. "We've been planning this wedding for months. I know when you're faking enthusiasm, and that is what you have been doing in front of your fiancé. I thought that it was just you wanting your way to have a small wedding."

"It is my wedding," Elizabeth retorted. "And no, that is not the problem."

"Then what is the problem?" Ellie asked her daughter.

Elizabeth continued to stare at herself in the mirror, looking at her reflection whilst shaking her head.

She didn't love him.

She cared for him, yes, but she did not love him. She did not feel any passion with him. She felt as though there was something lacking. There was something which wasn't quite right. How could she marry him feeling like that? How could she go through with it?

"I...I can't do it," Lizzie gasped out, her hand resting on her stomach. She felt faint, as if breathing was a chore. "I can't marry James."

Clark inhaled sharply as he heard her speak. He hadn't been expecting that. He hadn't been anticipating Lizzie saying that.

"What?" Ellie whispered, standing in front of her daughter. "What do you mean you can't marry him?"

"I mean that I can't do it," Lizzie said. "I mean that he isn't the one who I want."

"No," Mrs Lowe snarled back, "the one who you want is thousands of miles away. He left, Lizzie. He left and he didn't come back for you. He doesn't love you. You haven't seen him in years, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not!" Lizzie snapped back. "I know that Clark left. I also know why."

"Yes, it is a gap year gone wrong," Ellie replied. "You have been with James for years now, Lizzie. He is good for you. He loves you. Do you not care for him?"

"Of course I care for him," Lizzie drawled. "I just...I don't know if I love him or not..."

"You won't let yourself love him," Ellie replied, taking a seat beside her daughter on the bed. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her to her. "You've been too focused on remembering the past for the entire planning process. You've been thinking about the what if's, and it isn't healthy for you, Lizzie. James is here, Clark isn't."

"This isn't about Clark," Lizzie lied. "This is about me not knowing if I love James."

"It has always been about Clark," Ellie protested. "All of it has been. I know that he was your first love, but people learn to love again, Lizzie. They have to. Please, do not throw James away because of him."

Lizzie kept quiet then, not sure what more she could say to her mother.

"You know that you love James. You would not have agreed to marry him if you didn't, would you?"

"No," Lizzie agreed, her voice cautious as she thought things through for a few moments. "I suppose not."

"There you have it then," Ellie smiled, squeezing her daughter in her hold. "You're nervous, honey. I understand that, okay? I fully understand what is wrong. I had the same issue before I married your father."

"Really?"

"Of course," Ellie laughed once. "I sat in my room and wondered if I had made a mistake. I sat there for a long time, Lizzie."

"And now you love him."

"I love him more than I thought possible," Ellie answered truthfully. "Don't let nerves ruin this for you. Don't let that happen, my love."

Clark could feel guilt begin to tear him up again. But the guilt was undermined by the feeling of anguish inside of him. She was having doubts, and he was the cause of them. She hadn't moved on from him. He knew that he hadn't moved on from her. He kept listening as her mother dried her tears and her father escorted her outside.

He moved then, hiding by the gate behind the trees as he saw her leave the house. And it managed to take Clark's breath away.

She looked stunning, he couldn't deny that. Her dress was simple, clutching to her figure. The sleeves were long, running down her slender arms, the material soft silk and white. A laced part covered her chest to her neck. She had a small train behind her, the bridesmaids picking it up to make sure she didn't fall over it. Her mother handed her the white rose bouquet. Her father led her to the car, pulling her veil over her face as Clark continued to watch her.

He stood there long after she had left, unable to contain the thoughts of him being the one at the altar waiting for her.

...

Elizabeth knew it had been a mistake as soon as she was sat in the wedding reception. She forced herself to smile. She made herself be happy. She had to be. This was it, wasn't it? She excused herself after a few moments, standing outside on the wooden balcony which looked over the golf club grounds. She held a glass of champagne in her hands, chugging it back as if it was water.

She looked to the sky, wondering what the future would hold.

Martha watched the young bride wander off, unable to go and say anything to her because of her current predicament of looking after the young Martyn twins. But she knew what Elizabeth was thinking.

...

"I'm sorry."

"You've said multiple times."

"I mean it."

"Do you?" he wondered from her. "Then why did you agree to marry me? I thought we were happy, Elizabeth. We've been together for a long time."

"We haven't been happy in a long time," Elizabeth replied simply. "You know that, James. I know it."

"We could be," James protested to her. "You were made redundant, Lizzie. It is not a big deal...I know that has been stressing you out...but you don't need to take it out on our marriage."

"Our marriage hasn't been right in a long time...don't blame my redundancy on that, James. Don't blame that at all."

"You're not even willing to try, Lizzie," James complained as she continued to pack her bag. "Look, I told you that you don't need to work in that diner. I told you that before...you're still young...there's plenty of time to find another job in a paper."

"I've applied for hundreds," Lizzie complained. "This is a recession, James. Besides, it doesn't matter. I don't want to do this anymore."

"What? Be married to me?"

"Stop it, James," Lizzie demanded him. "I know we've been through a lot together. I get that, but this isn't working. Don't try and make excuses for it."

"I'm trying to save it!" he yelled back at her as she continued to pack a bag, getting ready to leave the apartment at any given moment.

Why was he doing this? Lizzie didn't want their marriage to be saved. She didn't want to work on it, because she knew that there was nothing. No psychiatrist could tell her how she felt. No one could do that.

"You can't save something that is ruined, James," Lizzie whispered. "Please, just stop it. I don't want to fight about this. I'm going back to Kansas for a while. I'll move my stuff out when I come back, okay?"

"Do as you please," James snapped at her, walking into the bathroom and slamming the door behind himself. Lizzie winced at the noise, closing her eyes and shaking her head before she picked up the case from the bed. She moved out of the apartment without another glance behind her.

Little did she know who would be waiting for her in Smallville.

...

A/N: So they will be reuinited again in the next chapter before Zod makes his appearance! Exciting times. thanks to anyone taking the time to read this, I hope you'll let me know what y'all think!


	13. Chapter 13

Lizzie landed in Kansas that morning. She caught the bus to Smallville, looking out and at the sights which she passed. Her eyes wandered down to her hand, looking at the blue engagement ring and silver wedding band which sat on her finger. She twirled them, wondering what would be in store for her when she returned back to New York. She knew that she was running away from James. She was running away from her marriage because she didn't know what else she could do.

She returned home, telling her mother what had happened. Ellie had held her daughter to her, allowing her to cry against her shoulder. Her mother had mellowed over the past few years. She had watched her daughter leave her. She had visited occasionally, and each time she knew that Lizzie wasn't truly happy.

She hadn't been truly happy since she was a seventeen year old girl.

Lizzie had stood back, telling her mother that she wanted to go and visit her father. Ellie wondered if she should go with her daughter, but Lizzie shook her head, promising her mother that she would be fine by herself. Ellie handed her the car keys, watching as her only daughter left the house. A sudden chill came over as she felt herself begin to cry again, unable to stand being alone in the house.

...

Clark left Lois by walking in the opposite direction of the graveyard to where she stood. He hadn't told anyone the story of how his father had died. No one else knew about Clark and his secret. No one but Lizzie and his mother. He hadn't heard from Lizzie in the past few months. He had tried to call her but she wasn't answering. It was like she was purposefully ignoring him.

That was how he found himself confused when he saw her figure in the graveyard. He could sense that Lois was still stood at his father's grave, clearly debating what she should do. He wondered what she would do too. He hoped the right thing was the way forwards. He needed his secret to be kept.

He pushed her from his mind, walking towards Lizzie as she kept her head bowed. She didn't notice his arrival, too intent on the stone in front of her.

Clark didn't know what to think when he saw the name on it. The white marble was expensive; flowers lined the front of it, almost covering the name. But Clark could see who it was.

Lizzie finally heard someone breathing behind her. She turned around, wondering if her mother had followed her to the cemetery. But it wasn't her mother. Clark reached for his baseball cap, pulling it from his head to look at her clearly in the setting sunlight. She stared back at him, seeing him dressed in a tight white t-shirt with a blue shirt unbuttoned over it. His face was clean this time, revealing his bright blue eyes and strong jaw.

Clark took his time to look at her. She wore her skinny jeans on her form, a black blazer covering a plain white top. But it was her face which worried him. She hadn't aged, but she looked drained and tired.

"Clark," Lizzie croaked out, her voice soft and shocked. Her eyes were rimmed with tears as Clark nodded at her. "You're here."

"I'm here," Clark promised her.

He watched her for another few moments. "I didn't know about your father."

She turned her head over her shoulder to look at the gravestone, speaking back to him; "Cancer. There was no cure for it. He found out too late...he died last year..."

"I'm sorry," Clark said. And he was sorry. Her father was an acquired taste, but he wasn't a monster. Clark had seen that when he was twenty two and being told of what Lizzie had gone through during his absence.

"He died peacefully," she nodded, turning her gaze back to him. "They say that time heals wounds, don't they?"

"They do."

"Well they were wrong," Lizzie replied. "I don't know how it can heal. He was my dad. How did you cope?"

"I didn't for a long time," Clark said, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets. "You know that. You put on a brave face, Lizzie. It is all you can do. Besides, you're a tough girl...you always have been..."

"Have I?" she replied, wanting to do nothing more than go back to those days. "I don't feel tough anymore, Clark."

"I wouldn't know," Clark replied, his voice cautious as he decided to tread on thin ice. "I haven't heard from you in months, Lizzie. I was worried about you."

She bit down on her bottom lip, well aware that she had been avoiding Clark and his calls for a long time. She hadn't been able to face him since she was made redundant and her marriage began to break down. What could she say to him? She could hardly tell him that her life was collapsing around her.

Clark waited for her to respond, his eyes looking at her as she instinctively began to twirl her wedding and engagement ring.

"I didn't know what to say, Clark," Lizzie admitted. "Everything has turned to crap."

"What do you mean?"

"My dad died. I lost my job...my marriage has broken down...I have no money and work in a diner now...I work in a diner where men grope at me with any available chance...I'll be homeless as soon as James throws me out...I have bills to pay that I can't...credit cards galore..."

Clark watched as she made her explanation to him, his eyes full of sorrow for her and worry. He rushed forwards to her then, wrapping his arms around her petite form and holding her to his muscular body. Lizzie placed her own arms around his neck, her sobs continuing to shake against him as she made her revelation to him.

He kept quiet, looking to the side as he saw a car drive past and noted Lois sat in the driver's seat, her gaze on Clark instead of the road. He gave her a curt nod before turning his attention back to Lizzie. She was the one who needed him now. She was his concern now.

"Come on," Clark urged her, pulling back after a moment. "You need a drink."

"Just one?" Lizzie finally managed to form a wan smile.

...

"Where do you want me to start?" Lizzie asked from Clark.

She was sat at the bar on a stool, her feet dangling off the floor. Both of her hands were wrapped around a beer bottle on the wooden surface. Clark had one foot on the footrest, the other on the floor as he leaned towards her. He held his head with one hand, his other holding the beer bottle he had just been given.

"From the beginning," Clark said to her.

"Well...it first started when my dad died," Lizzie admitted to Clark. "James did everything that he should. He held my hand, stayed with me for the entire event. He told me comforting things. But...it was as I watched my dad...as I watched him being lowered down when my mother cried so loudly...I'd never heard a sound like it."

Clark watched her as she drained a lot of the bottle in a few gulps.

"And I saw how much she loved him. I saw how much she cared for him. She may not have shown it like a normal woman. God knows my mother isn't normal."

Clark couldn't help but silently agree with that analysis.

"But she loved him so much...and I thought...I thought that I didn't love James that much. I don't. I care for him, of course I do. But after that day I kept on finding faults with everything that he did. I kept on making excuses to stay away from home. I'd known it for a long time," Lizzie whispered. "I don't want to die without love. Proper love. Even if it tears me apart."

Clark took a moment to contemplate. He barely recognised Lizzie drink the rest of the alcohol. She handed the bottle to bartender, ordering herself another one for Clark's tab. The bartender looked at Clark with an arched brow, wondering if she was alright to do that. The rate she was drinking was alarming. Clark nodded, waving his hand with the beer bottle in a nonchalant manner.

"You married him," Clark told her. "You must have loved something about him."

"I know," Lizzie said. "I love him in a certain way. I just don't love him like a wife should love her husband. He's said we should attend counselling. And then I was made redundant. The paper wasn't selling. It lost all of its business to the Daily Planet. There were sixteen of us who applied there after our paper folded. I didn't get the job."

"So you're a waitress?" Clark checked. "Could James not help you out? Surely he knows what happens to you."

"He knows that the men are randy," Lizzie agreed, draining her drink. "His job pays well enough, but living in New York isn't cheap. His money is allocated for...he pays for the rent and groceries and all that. We needed a bit more money. It was the only way in the end. And now I have credit card debts. I'm living on an overdraft. I...I don't think I have any other option but to move back here...move back to Smallville to stay with my mom. If not then I'll be homeless."

"Your mother wouldn't let that happen," Clark whispered back. "I wouldn't let that happen."

"That's a point," Lizzie snapped out suddenly, the alcohol clearly going straight to her brain. "What are you doing back here? I was too shocked that you were at the grave to comprehend that you're back in Smallville."

Clark gave her a small smile, pressing his bottle to his lips as she did the same to hers.

"I know where I came from."

Lizzie spat out some of the liquid, some people looking at her as she leaned closer to Clark, her eyes widening. She forgot all about her problems for a moment, too focused on Clark's revelation to think about anything else.

"What?" she snapped at him. "How? You need to tell me everything!"

Clark urged her to keep her voice down before he began to speak to her. He told her how he had worked on the base in Canada and found the ship in the ice. He told her all about his piloting of the ship and his talk with his real father, Jor-El. He explained everything about Krypton and the suit which he had found. The reason why Clark was stronger than anyone else was due to the planet's sun.

"So you can really fly?" Lizzie checked. "I knew that you could."

"Not as far as I can now," Clark replied to her. "I made it all the way to South Africa before I couldn't fly anymore."

"Jesus," Lizzie gasped, drinking more of her alcohol. "And this reporter...do you trust her?"

"Lois?" Clark replied; a brow arched as he did so. Lizzie nodded at him. "Yeah, I trust her. She said that she would do the right thing. There are still a few good people in the world, Liz. She's one of them."

"She's a reporter," Lizzie clarified. "You do know about them, don't you? Journalism is a cruel business. I've seen it."

"And were you cruel?"

"I've done things which...well...I don't know. Some say cruel, others say pushy. I don't know," she admitted, shaking her head. "It does make me hate her more; now that I know she works for the Daily Planet."

"I could have a word," Clark said. "I could tell her about you."

"I don't need pity," Lizzie said, her tone harsher than she had meant for it to sound. "You sound just like James."

"What are you going to do about him?" Clark asked her. "Are you going to go to counselling?"

Lizzie stared back at her rings again, biting down on her bottom lip before drinking her second bottle of beer.

"I thought about it," she admitted. "I was adamant before, but...on the plane...I wondered if I could do any better than him. I wondered if there would ever be anyone else, or if he was the one. If he is the one and I quit too easily. I have no idea, Clark. I don't know what to do for the best."

"Only you can make the decision," Clark said to her.

She rolled her eyes, urging herself not to cry by completing the motion. She glanced back at Clark, her lips pulled up at the side.

"I see some things haven't changed. You're still terrible at giving advice."

Clark grinned then, trying to be encouraging for her sake. "I always thought I offered sound advice."

"You were terrible," Lizzie replied, ordering another beer as Clark finished his first. He watched as she swayed on her stool. "I'm assuming you still are terrible."

"At least I didn't spend my time berating you," Clark replied, taking the fresh beer into his grasp as she shook her head.

"I berated you to make sure you did well in your exams. How did you do, anyway? You never said."

"No idea," Clark told her. "I never went to collect the results. It's never affected my life since."

"That's because you've been living in the cold ever since," Lizzie clarified.

Clark sat opposite her for the rest of the evening, watching as she ordered numerous beers. The pair of them laughed and reminisced. It was almost as if she had forgotten all of her troubles for a while, and she knew why. She was with Clark. He seemed to make most things better for her.

The clock struck one when chucking out time came. Clark stood first, placing his empty beer bottle on the counter and digging into his wallet to pay for it all. Lizzie assured him that she would pay him back before she reached for the remainder of her beer and drained it.

Clark shook his head, watching as she tumbled down from the stool. He caught her around her elbow, keeping her on her feet as she laughed loudly. At least she seemed to have held onto her high spirits.

"Come on you," Clark whispered, wrapping his arm around her waist and leading her from the dive. She struggled to stay upright, constantly swaying from side to side and moving from Clark's limp grip on her. He watched as she tripped up the steps, hitting her face on another one.

"Lizzie," Clark complained.

"I'm fine!" she shrieked at him, pushing herself to stand up.

Clark continued to keep his eye on her as he moved out to the alleyway. He looked up and down it, making sure that it had emptied before he put his plan into action. There was no way he was waiting for a bus to take her home. There was no way she could go home. Her mother would have a fit. She may have been a woman, but she was still her daughter.

"Stay here," Clark urged her, moving to check that the alleyway was completely clear.

"I'm a waitress!" Lizzie suddenly snapped. "I'm in debt! My husband can't stand me...I look like a living corpse...and now I'm drunk! Clark! I love my life!"

"Yes, Lizzie," Clark humoured her. "Come here."

"Why?" she wondered back.

"I'm taking you home. We're going to fly."

"No way!" she snapped back, her voice full of drunken enthusiasm.

"Way," Clark agreed. He said nothing more, deciding to simply pick her up into his arms. He grabbed hold of her around the waist, forcing her to wrap her arm around his shoulders.

"You're like a personal plane," Lizzie declared, her feet lifting from the ground as she tossed her head back. Clark shook his head at her, rolling his eyes and allowing a small grin to form on his face. "You could make a business from that."

"Okay, Liz," Clark mumbled and slowly moved into the sky.

Lizzie watched as the sky became closer, her eyes wide with delight as she felt her breathing become shallow. She laughed loudly, her sounds shaking against Clark as she began to sober. Clark looked down at her face as she kept her arms firmly around his shoulders, making sure she didn't let him go.

"This is amazing!" she yelled as Clark finally got high enough to be able to fly in the direction of his house. That was when Lizzie's posture changed. She was hanging underneath Clark, looking down to the ground as she felt her throat clench.

"Clark..." Lizzie suddenly spoke. "Clark...I'm going throw up..."

"What?" Clark said, not comprehending that she was normal human. It was what they did after a ridiculous volume of alcohol. "Can't you...well...wait?"

"No," Lizzie said. "Clark...we need to go down...please...Clark..."

Clark sighed but did as she asked, hurtling towards the ground. He found a dirt track off the road, setting her down by the side of it. She moved from his hold, stumbling to her knees as she vomited. Clark wrinkled his nose. Even he could smell it. Shaking his head, he watched as she wretched. He pulled her hair from her face as she doubled over.

"Oh God," she complained. "Puking in a ditch...what would the neighbours say?"

"Luckily you're out of the way," Clark told her. "No one will know."

"I know," Lizzie muttered, her voice quiet as her eyes drooped and she lost all energy. "This is your entire fault, Clark Kent."

"I know," Clark agreed, not bothering to argue with her. "Do you think you've finished?"

"Maybe," Lizzie whispered, spitting out the contents of her mouth before trying to stand up. Clark caught her as she ran a hand over her forehead.

"Okay...you're okay..." Clark promised her as she stumbled into his hold. She rested her hands on his chest softly, steadying herself.

"Oh God," Lizzie mumbled. "I feel terrible...Clark...I think I might die."

"You're not going to die," Clark promised her, knowing full well that she was being melodramatic.

"What if I do?"

"Then I will sue the doctor who failed to save your life."

She seemed appeased with his answer, patting his chest once. "Good, young one. The force is strong with you."

"I'm not Yoda," Clark replied simply.

"No," she replied. "You're Superman. Super...duper...Clark Kent..."

"You're going to regret those eight beers in the morning."

"Probably," she agreed, finally feeling her body give up on her. She slumped further against Clark, allowing him to take her weight. He held her underneath her arms, keeping her upright as she closed her eyes.

"Let's get you home."

Clark wrapped his arms around her waist again, deciding to travel slowly with her as she passed out in his hold. She didn't forget to mention one final thing;

"No feeling my ass up, Kent."

Clark couldn't help but smirk as she finally fell to sleep. He landed in his mother's yards, pulling Lizzie closer into his arms as he walked into the house, banging her head on the door as he went. She didn't seem to notice. She was far too intoxicated to know what her middle name was.

"Clark, is that you?" Martha called to her son, walking from the kitchen to the hallway where he stood with Lizzie in his arms. "Is that Elizabeth?"

"It is," Clark clarified, juggling her in his arms. "She's had a bit too much to drink."

"She smells like a back street gutter."

"That would be because she has just vomited on the side of the road."

"What have you done to the girl?"

"How is this my fault?"

"I can find a way to blame it on you," Martha smirked, grabbing hold of the blanket on the armchair. "I don't want to believe that innocent Elizabeth is like this. Put her on the sofa, she can sleep here tonight."

"Can you phone her mom?" Clark wondered. "She needs to know where she is. She didn't have a phone on her."

"Fine," Martha said as Clark settled Lizzie on the sofa.

She stirred after a moment, looking to Clark as she worried where she was.

"You're safe," Clark promised her. "I'm here, Lizzie."

"I'm going to be sick..." she complained.

Clark had gone and returned before she could even push herself to stand. He bent by her side, holding a red bucket by her side as she continued to empty the contents of her stomach into it. Clark patted her back when she had finished.

"Lie back," Clark urged her. "Try to sleep. You'll feel better for it."

"Will you stay?" she managed to speak as he pushed the blanket over her shoulders.

"I'll stay," Clark said when she closed her eyes, too tired to wait for his answer. "I'll always be here now, for as long as you need me."

Martha came back from the kitchen after a long conversation with Ellie, assuring the woman that she would make sure Lizzie was safe. She saw Lizzie on the sofa, sleeping soundly with a bucket beside her. Clark was leant against the front of the sofa, looking at Lizzie's hand as it dangled over the edge. He cautiously picked it up, looking at the rings which sat there.

His mother said nothing, as he remained too clouded in his own world. She climbed the stairs to her room, leaving him to look after his childhood friend.

...

A/N: Another chapter for the day! Thanks again to anyone who is reading, and do let me know what you think. There is so much more to come.


	14. Chapter 14

"I know," Lizzie said as soon as she heard Clark sit beside her on the porch steps.

He handed her a glass of water, his brow arched as he waited for her to provide him with an explanation to what she knew. She pushed a hand through her hair, draining her water hastily as she looked into the distance.

"I know I'm a screw up," Lizzie said without a trace of sorrow.

Clark shook his head. "You're not a screw up."

"Yes, I am," she protested. "I'm out of money, my marriage has broken, and now I am here with the worst hangover of my life."

Clark chuckled at the last part. He moved his hand out to her, resting it over her free one. She shuffled along, resting her head on Clark's shoulder as she took a deep breath and felt the tears begin to build up in her eyes. She couldn't stop crying, and she had no idea why. She wanted to be normal for one minute; that was all she wanted. She wanted everything to be the way it was when she was in high school.

"You're just lost," Clark decided to say instead. "Everything has gone wrong at once. It happens, Lizzie. You'll cope. I know you will."

"At least someone has faith in me," Lizzie mumbled, placing her glass down on the step beside her. "I should really go home. Mom will be worried about me if I don't go home soon."

"I'm sure she'll understand," Clark said.

Lizzie pulled back, arching her brow at him as Clark smirked back, a chuckle eliciting his lips. "Okay, so maybe she won't understand that much."

"As I thought," Lizzie said, moving from Clark to push herself to stand up. He stood with her, taking the empty glass after she had finished the water. He looked at her for a moment, wondering how she had found herself in this state.

"I fly back to New York tomorrow," Lizzie said. "I only came for a couple of days. I need to speak with James."

"I see," Clark said.

"And what about you?" Lizzie wondered to him. "What are you going to do?"

Clark dropped his hands to his hips, turning to look around at the farm where he had been raised. Shaking his head, he moved his shoulders up and down. He really had no idea now.

"I don't know," he said. "I suppose I know who I am now. What more can I do?"

"You're always welcome to come and stay in New York for a bit. I live near the Metropolis," Lizzie explained. "It's quite a nice area...well...that's if I'm in New York anymore. Like I said, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Clark bit down on his bottom lip as she continued to run a hand through her greasy hair.

"If you ever need help, Lizzie, you know where I am," Clark told her.

She smiled at that, moving closer to him to press her lips against his cheek in a tender movement. She looked into his clear blue eyes, forcing herself to grin.

"I'm a tough girl," she promised him. "I'll find something."

Clark knew that she was trying to appease him. It just wasn't working. Clark knew her better than she seemed to think, even after all of their years apart.

"What are you doing tonight?" Lizzie wondered. "It's my last night in town and mom is going to her friends for her birthday meal. I don't feel like joining in with that."

"Well, we won't be going to a bar again," he teased her.

She rolled her eyes at that. "Of course not. I was thinking we could...well...I don't know...get some food?"

"I promised my mom that I would cook tonight," Clark said to her. "She's missed me and all that...I wanted to try and make it up to her."

"That's fine," Lizzie said, waving her hand nonchalantly. She pulled her blazer tightly around herself, shaking her head. "It's not like this is goodbye, is it? I mean...it can't be...not again..."

"No," Clark assured her. "Look, why don't you come over tonight? I'm sure my mom won't mind."

"I don't want to interrupt."

"You wouldn't be," Clark said. "You know that my mom thinks the world of you."

"Okay," Lizzie agreed with him. "Well, I should be going."

"I'll drive you," Clark said. "You can hardly walk for miles on end looking like you do," he taunted her. She moved to hit him across the arm before he walked back into the house to grab his keys from the sideboard.

...

Lizzie may have been old enough to do as she pleased, but she still had her mother to answer to. She still had questions fired at her as soon as she came waltzing back home. She'd answered them, telling her mom that she was fine and had just lost control of time and how much she had drank. Ellie had looked at her disapprovingly, but she didn't berate her as much as Lizzie thought she would.

She spent the rest of the day in her room. She had a long nap before she decided to shower and change. She changed into her jeans and leather jacket over her vest top. Clark was waiting for her at gone six.

"You look much better," he taunted her as soon as she climbed into the passenger side.

"Thanks very much," Lizzie replied.

She spoke with Clark for the rest of the journey, laughing and joking with him as he told her of his tales from travelling. She listened with intent, interested in everything which he said. He continued to talk with her as they went about peeling potatoes. Clark grabbed a beer from the fridge as the new family dog barked around his feet.

"I'm taking it that you don't want one," Clark joked with her.

"I'll stick with your mom's homemade orange juice," Lizzie replied as she checked the oven temperature.

Martha was still sat outside, enjoying the sun before going to pick some apples.

"Probably for the best," Clark assured her, watching as she bent over to place the chicken in the oven. He couldn't help but watch her as she made the motion. Even after all those years he was still attracted to her backside. Of course, it was more than her backside which attracted him.

He drained his beer and averted his eyes as she turned around to look back at him.

"Are you even watching that?" Lizzie wondered from Clark, listening to the blaring of the TV. "I can't stand football. You do know that America's Next Top Model is on?"

"Funnily enough, that really doesn't interest me," Clark replied, moving his arm to rest on the archway so that he could look to the TV. Lizzie stood beside him, nudging him in the ribs as she watched it.

"I don't even understand the rules," she complained to him. "Honestly, I can't believe you're still interested in this after a decade away."

"Oh, you wound me, Elizabeth," Clark said. "I'm a man. It is what men watch."

"You do talk rubbish," Lizzie said, daring to nudge him in the stomach again. This time Clark was quicker, grabbing hold of her arm and placing his bottle down. She laughed against him as he twirled her under his arm, pressing her back flat against his chest before releasing her arm and keeping his arms around her. She turned in his hold, looking up to him for another few moments, unable to control her rocketing heart rate. Even after all those years, there was still something about being so close to Clark that made her nervous, yet excited.

She could feel him move against her, bringing down his head as she froze for a moment. She was still married. She was married to James. She couldn't do this with Clark. It wouldn't be fair. She didn't care that James was hundreds of miles away and wouldn't know. But if she did kiss Clark, she risked hurting him too. She risked hurting him if she went back to NYC to try and salvage her marriage.

Besides, she had no idea what she was going to do yet. Leading Clark on would not be fair.

"You'd best put the potatoes on to boil," Lizzie said, patting his chest and escaping his limp grip as she went back to stirring the mixture for the desert.

Clark said nothing, watching as she moved away from him and he remained hunched over. He supposed that he should never have tried to kiss her. She was still married, even though it was on the rocks. Clark had been gone for so long. How could he expect to swan back into her life and pick up where they left off many years ago?

He couldn't.

Lizzie needed time, regardless of what she chose to do about her marriage to James. And if she did go back to him, then maybe Clark would need to move on too. He couldn't pine after her for the rest of his life, regardless of how much he wanted to do that. Maybe if he had stayed, then he would be with her.

"Clark!"

Clark moved the towel from his shoulder, dropping it on the side as he felt relieved to escape the atmosphere with Lizzie.

"Yeah...coming..." Clark promised his mom, turning to leave through the backdoor as Lizzie continued to beat the mixture.

Clark stood by his mother's side, looking up to the sky as she did the same. He managed to see straight through the object which was circling, wonder taking hold of him before he heard a scream and a smashing noise from inside.

He instantly turned around and rushed back into the dark house, the lights having gone off, but the TV remained blurring.

"Lizzie," Clark called out. "You okay?"

"What's going on?" she wondered as he finally found her in the darkness, surrounded by smashed bits of bowl. He grabbed her by the waist, picking her up to help her out of the wreckage so she didn't injure herself.

"I don't know," Clark replied as Martha stood behind them, the apples in her basket as she looked to the TV. Clark's hands left Lizzie as he wandered forwards and she hesitantly followed him, unable to take her eyes from the TV screen.

"Clark," Lizzie whispered as a voice began to speak.

"You are not alone."

He kept his eyes fixed on the screen as he felt her behind him, reaching for his hand. He moved it to entwine his fingers into hers as he took a step back, wrapping his arm around her waist as she felt fear rise up inside of her. Martha took to stand next to her son, her hand resting on his arm as a screeching noise came from the TV.

"My name is General Zod. I come from a world far from yours. I have journeyed across an ocean of stars to reach you. For some time your world has sheltered one of my citizen's. I request you return this individual to my custody. For reasons unknown he has chosen to keep his existence a secret from you. He will have made efforts to blend in. He will look like you, but he is not one of you. To those of you who may know of his current location, the fate of your planet rests in your hands. To Kal El I say this. SUrrnder within twenty four hours, or watch this world suffer the consequences."

Martha shrieked as the lights went back on, dropping the apples to the floor as Clark released Lizzie from his grip, the TV turning off in front of them. Lizzie looked around, her gaze on Clark as Martha rushed into her son's embrace, holding him tightly to her. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

No one said anything as Lizzie picked up the rolling apples, placing them back in the basket as she thought about what had just happened.

"You can't...Clark..." Martha blurted out, unable to let go of her son as he felt the dilemma truly hit him.

"Sh," he urged his mother. "Everything will be okay."

"How can you say that?" Martha asked him. "The entire fate of the planet...on your shoulders...it is too much, Clark...it is too much...you can't go back..."

"It's okay. General Zod said no harm will come to the planet if I turn myself in. He wouldn't hurt me, would he? I'm part of his race."

Lizzie watched as Clark tried to appease his mother, keeping quiet and knowing full well that he was saying things to appease her. He was trying to make her feel better. But Lizzie wasn't buying it.

He drove her home later on, none of them having a particular appetite as they sat in the living room, not too sure what to say to each other. Clark drove in silence; Lizzie sat on the passenger seat beside him, looking into the darkness as he suddenly stopped the car off a dirt track. Lizzie wondered what he was doing as he climbed out from the vehicle, sitting on the bonnet of it after a moment.

Lizzie followed him slowly, closing the door behind herself as she took to sit beside him.

"You don't trust this General Zod, do you?" she whispered to him as he leant forwards, his hand clasped together and she watched him. "You told your mother those things to appease her."

"What else could I do?" Clark wondered, his voice hoarse as he looked across to Lizzie. "I...I don't want to do this. I don't trust Zod. There is something amiss."

"But?" Lizzie wondered. There was a tone to his voice that suggested there was a but to this conversation. Clark looked to her, adjusting the grey shirt he wore on his body.

"But I have to save earth, don't I?" Clark replied. "I know that Zod can't be trusted, Lizzie. I know that...but...I don't entirely trust other people."

"You have to do what you think is right," Lizzie told him.

"Now who is offering terrible advice?" Clark replied to her, his voice flat as he allowed his lips to tug up at the sides.

"What do you want me to say?" Lizzie wondered, snapping at him after a moment. "Do you want me to tell you to hand yourself in? Do you want me to tell you to let the earth suffer?"

"No," Clark replied, trying to get her to calm down. He was the one in this mess. He didn't need Lizzie hyperventilating. "I don't expect you to have the answer. Only I can have the answer, Lizzie."

"Dear God, Clark," Lizzie complained, running her hands over her cheeks. "None of this makes any sense. Why have they come after all of these years? Why now?"

"I don't know," Clark said. "I suppose there is only one way to find out."

Lizzie looked back to him then, shaking her head with haste as she did so.

"I can't do anything else, Lizzie," Clark replied. "I need to find out what this General Zod wants. I need to know, don't I? How can I leave earth to suffer if I remain hidden?"

Lizzie kept silent then, unable to tell Clark what she thought he should do. She really had no idea. She wanted him to stay hidden. She wanted him to hide. She just didn't know how long he could hide for. It scared her more than she cared to admit.

"Clark," Lizzie croaked out, reaching for his hand. He held it tightly, wrapping his free arm over her shoulders as she nestled against his side. "I will come with you...whatever you do...I'll be there..."

"No," Clark replied, placing his chin on top of her head. He closed his eyes, inhaling her familiar scent as she snaked both of her arms around his waist then. "You can't come with me, Lizzie. I'm not asking you that. I'm not subjecting you to it. Do not ask me to do that."

"I'm not," she promised him. "This is my choice, Clark. You're my best friend. You always have been. You need to know that I can't lose you again...not again...please...I'm so scared for you..."

"Oh, Lizzie," Clark sighed to her, squeezing his eyes closed to stop himself from crying. He couldn't break down in front of her. "I know. I know how you feel. Don't think that I don't, Liz...but...I need to do what needs to be done."

"Oh God," Lizzie complained, her grip around him increasing. "How can I let you go again? How many times are you going to say goodbye to me?"

Clark kept quiet, knowing that he had to make sure Lizzie got home safely. He needed time to think alone. He needed to know what he had to do for sure.

"You're going to go home," Clark whispered. "Go back to New York...make your peace with James...your mother should be safe here...I'll send my mom to check on her..."

"What?" she snapped at him. "How can you even ask me to do that when I know you're going?"

"Because I have to," Clark replied. "I'll take you home."

"No," Lizzie snapped at him. "I'm not going without you. I'm not leaving you again."

"You don't get a choice," Clark said to her, sliding down from the bonnet to wrap her into his arms, holding her tightly against him as she wormed around in his hold, refusing to let him take her anywhere.

"No!" Lizzie roared at him. "Don't you dare tell me what to do!"

"I am telling you to go back to James," Clark snapped. "I am telling you to live your life. I am telling you to do what you should have done all those years ago. You cannot drop everything because I have walked back into your life."

"Yes, I can," Lizzie replied simply. "I have nothing, Clark."

"You have a loving husband," Clark told her. "Do not throw that away. I won't let you...I can't let you...you can't come with me..."

"No," Lizzie replied simply. "I have to...Clark...I..."

"I'm going to keep earth safe, Lizzie. I will see to that," he promised her. "Handing myself in is the only way."

She shook her head then, tiring in his grip as Clark knew that she wouldn't go with him without a fight. He pressed his thumb to her chin as she remained confused, feeling her eyes roll back into her head as she passed out. Clark reached for her then, picking her up and placing her in his arms. He looked down at her, kissing the top of her head and holding her to him again.

"I do this because of you," Clark assured her unconscious form. "You know that, Lizzie. I do it because I...I care for you...so much."

...

A/N: Another chapter may be out later, but let me know what you think until then! Thanks for reading.


	15. Chapter 15

Lizzie turned over on the bed which she rested on, nestling her head further into the pillows. Clark had stood and watched her for a short while. He'd managed to get her back to New York in record time, wondering what she would think of him after he had done this. Clark had to go. He had a duty which needed to be fulfilled. She couldn't come with him. He couldn't let her risk everything for him. She needed to move on. She needed to realise that there was so much more to life than what she thought.

He'd kissed the top of her head gently as she slept on top of the duvet cover. He apartment was empty, James nowhere to be found. Clark swept her hair from her face, his hand lingering on her cheek for a moment before he left her.

...

She awoke to the sound of traffic bustling outside around her. She slowly opened her eyes to see the sights which sat around her. She was back in her bedroom in New York. She pressed a hand to her forehead, her eyes widening and then narrowing as she felt a headache come over her. She vaguely remembered how she had managed to get back home.

Clark.

He had taken her back to James, urging her not to throw him away. He loved her, and she needed someone like that. He'd told her to go to counselling.

She didn't honestly know what to think about his words. She thought that he had cared for her. She thought that maybe he was the one who she wanted. It had been years since she had felt like that. And then she saw him again and it all came back to the surface. How could she deny it?

"I brought you a glass of water and an aspirin."

Lizzie looked over to the doorway, her eyes falling on James as he stood there. He held the spoken of items in his hands. He wore his suit like normal. It looked like he was ready to go to work already.

"So I see," Lizzie nodded, moving on the bed to sit on the side of it.

"You came home last night. I was out...but...I know how you always got a headache after travelling. You never were any good at it," James recalled to her.

She blinked profusely, dropping her head into her hands as he sat beside her. He gently placed the glass and pills into her palm. She drained them quickly, remembering how he had looked after her during the honeymoon to California. She'd spent most of her travelling time complaining over her headache. But it wasn't brought on by travelling this time. It was induced by Clark.

"I...I didn't expect you back until tomorrow," James whispered to her. "I saw the thing on the news, of course. Hopefully this guy will turn himself in."

"Yeah," Lizzie agreed lamely. "Hopefully."

"Look...Lizzie...I need you to understand that...before you left...I should have stopped you from walking out." James told her, shaking his head back and forth, pulling at his tie.

Lizzie shook her head. She didn't need to listen to James try and guilt trip her.

"No, it doesn't matter-"

"-It does," he interjected. "I should have stopped you from walking out that door. I should have kept you here instead of watching you leave me for a few days. I love you, Lizzie. I love you with all my heart. We've been together over a decade. You can't tell me that you don't feel the same. Don't tell me that you want to give up on us...please...sweetheart...don't tell me that."

She closed her eyes, feeling her tears begin to well up. She placed the glass of water on the bedside table, watching as James grabbed hold of her hand. He looked down at her engagement ring and wedding ring.

"It has to mean something to you, Lizzie."

James wrapped his arm around her waist, daring to pull her closer to him. She kept quiet, her mind in a complete mess as she thought about what she should do. She did care for James. Of course she did. She'd been with him since university. She'd been with him for so long. How could she note love him in her own way? It just wasn't the way she wanted to love.

"I know the past few months have been hard, Lizzie," James whispered to her. "I know that they haven't been ideal. I could have been more attentive...I could have done more...you could have confided in me. You could have told me about your doubts. You're my wife. I don't want you to hide from me. We're not broken, Lizzie. We just need help. We need help to get us back on track."

James was pleading with her to do this. He was begging with her to make sure they had another shot at marriage. Lizzie didn't say anything as she stood up and moved into her wardrobe, looking for her uniform for work. She needed to get away from the apartment and do something.

"I'll think about it," Lizzie said weakly, her eyes focused on the clothes in her wardrobe. She couldn't look back at James without wanting to end up crying.

"Okay," James said back to her. "That's all I wanted, Lizzie."

"You should go to work," Lizzie replied. "I'm assuming the world doesn't stop because of an alien invasion."

"No," he replied. "I've had more appointments in the past night than I have in the past week."

"People need to talk about it," Lizzie declared, dragging the pink uniform out.

"You stay safe, okay?" James demanded her. "I'm sure we'll be safe against these aliens anyway. We have the best military known to man."

"Yeah, of course," Lizzie agreed weakly.

James moved across to her, hesitantly resting his hands on her shoulders and kissing her on her forehead. Lizzie inhaled sharply, her posture rigid as she did so.

"We'll work this out," James whispered. He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself instead of her. "We have to, don't we?"

"I don't know," Lizzie answered truthfully. "Anyway, you should go to work. I'll see you tonight."

"Ten years, Lizzie," James whispered. "You don't want to think of it as a waste. I know that I don't."

Lizzie watched as James turned on his heel and left her in the early morning. She changed her clothes before turning the news onto the TV. She looked at it as it covered the entire event which was unfolding. Apparently a man had been taken into questioning. Lizzie drank her coffee with haste, leaving her mug in the sink.

She reached for her shoes before she heard a familiar name.

"The Daily Planet's Lois Lane knows who this man is."

Lizzie looked at the screen with wide eyes, wondering how much Lois knew about Clark. He said that he trusted her. She wondered when the breaking news would come that it was Clark himself who had been taken into custody.

...

Clark walked down the hall, his mind completely in a whirl as he was led into an interrogation room. He kept telling himself that he had done the right thing. She was his best friend. She always had been. She deserved to be safe and happy. James could offer her that. Clark couldn't offer her any of it. He'd hurt enough in the past. He wouldn't do it anymore.

"They have you in handcuffs?"

Clark heard the door slam behind him as Lois sat at a steel table. Clark smirked at that, moving to sit on the other chair opposite her. He crossed his legs underneath the table, resting his hands on the table as he did so.

"Wouldn't be much of a surrender if they didn't," Clark shrugged nonchalantly. "Have they hurt you at all?"

Lois looked at Clark for another few moments, slightly shocked at the concern in his voice.

"No," she assured him.

"Besides, being handcuffed makes them feel more secure."

"What does the S stand for?" Lois suddenly asked him.

'_You're Superman. Super...duper...Clark Kent.'_

Clark did his best to push Lizzie's voice from his head, smirking as he thought of what she would say if she saw his suit. She'd definitely be naming him already. He was sure of it.

"It's not an S," Clark said. "On my world it means hope."

Lois arched a brow at him, pointing to his chest and shaking her head before sitting back in her seat. "Well, here, it means an S."

"I have an idea what it could mean," Clark whispered to her, looking down to the table and thinking about what she would be doing at that moment in time. He hoped that it would be fixing her marriage.

"What's that?" Lois wandered.

"Superman," Clark admitted ashamedly. "She used to call me it."

Lois arched a brow, crossing her own legs under the table as she watched Clark with intrigue for a few more moments.

"She?" Lois replied. "The girl in the graveyard."

"Yes," Clark said, not wanting to give her name away. He didn't need the FBI going after Lizzie. She had done nothing wrong. He didn't want her to play any part in what was going to happen. He knew that much.

"I'd heard of a girl," Lois admitted. "A girl who was your childhood friend. Apparently you two were very close."

"That would be the same girl," Clark admitted to her. "She's a good friend of mine."

"And does she know about you?"

"No," Clark instantly lied, protecting her to keep her safe.

Lois looked at him for another moment, noting the way his gaze avoided hers. She could tell he was lying. Years of interviewing people gave her an advantage over a lot of people. She could easily tell when someone was lying.

"She's married now," Lois tested the water.

She had done her research, but had never gotten round to find Elizabeth Lowe.

"She is," Clark agreed with her. "She's not a part of this. She never has been, and never will be. She was simply there for me when no one else was."

"I see," Lois was the one to speak.

Clark nodded curtly, indicating that the conversation had come to a close. Lizzie wasn't to be brought into any of this. Clark wouldn't allow for that to happen.

...

"Hey, sweetie, where's my apple pie?"

Lizzie winced as she felt a hand make contact with her backside. The pain stung as she walked off, refusing to move her hand to rub the affected area. She stood at the diner counter, ordering another apple pie before she went back to clean the table next door to the man who wanted the apple pie. She bent over and ran a cloth over it, groaning as he slapped her ass again.

"I don't see any apple pie." He commented.

"Look, asshole," Lizzie snapped. "It'll be coming in a moment."

He turned to look at his friend with a smirk on his face before he looked back to Lizzie. She slung the towel over her shoulder and dropped her hands to her hips.

"You've got a filthy mouth on you," he drawled. "I know how that could be put to good use."

"Dream on."

"Oh, I will."

She wandered back to the counter, shaking her head as she looked up to the TV in the corner. She had been checking the news all morning, waiting for something to happen. Waiting for Clark to be spotted.

"Ignore Bill."

She looked up to the woman who had spoken to her. Roberta had been working at the diner longer than Lizzie had been. She didn't know how long exactly. She was in her late fifties, trying to hold down a job to support her daughter who was a single mother. It seemed the diner was the place for down and outs. She placed the apple pie before Lizzie as she spoke.

"He's been coming here for years. You're just his latest victim, honey."

"Lucky me," Lizzie mumbled.

"Most of the others just ignore him...don't wind him up too much."

"Got it," Lizzie grunted before hearing the sound of breaking news enter her ears.

"This mysterious Kal-El character has been spotted travelling at this moment in time. Security is tight as they head for the top secret meeting location. The Daily Planet's Lois Lane is travelling with them. Rumour has it that she has been investigating this Kal-El character for months on end. Another rumour says that she is attached to him in some way. Who knows? Perhaps she could be the secret girlfriend to this man of mystery."

Lizzie shook her head as Roberta chuckled.

"An alien invasion threatens us," she spoke, "and all we can do is work and wait to see what happens."

"Do you think anything will happen?" Lizzie wondered from her. "Do you think the news is talking sense?"

"No idea, honey," Roberta said, beginning to clean out the coffee machine. "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we? There's no use hiding indoors until this clears."

"No," Lizzie mumbled in agreement. "I suppose not."

...

"I know that she knows," Lois whispered as she stood with Clark in the middle of the wasteland. She was stood opposite him, her face one of worry. "Lizzie Lowe. Your childhood sweetheart."

"She wasn't," Clark replied solemnly. "She was just a friend."

"Whitney Fordman seems to think differently. He told me the two of you were inseparable."

Clark shook his head, a dark chuckle eliciting his lips as he did so. "Whitney Fordman was a nasty piece of work. He tried to make my life hell. He beat Lizzie up when I left. She wouldn't admit the truth about me."

"He seemed like a nasty piece of work when I met him," she admitted to him. "Not someone who Superman would be around."

"No," Clark replied, looking to the sky, thinking about those days.

"You still love her, don't you?" Lois wondered from him. "You still want to be with her."

"I can't," Clark replied. "She's one of the few who know about me. She'd one of the few who have kept my secret, and I've hurt her so many times before. I've never been there for her before. She moved on."

"Do you wish she hadn't?" Lois asked.

"No," Clark spoke truthfully. "Everyone deserves a chance at happiness, don't they?"

"Even Superman," Lois said, reaching out to pick up Clark's hand.

He looked down as she held onto it tightly. His brows furrowed as she stared back at him, her eyes wide as she watched Clark look at her with confusion in his eyes. He said nothing for a few moments, choosing to remain silent before he whispered out his thanks.

"Thank you, Lois."

"What for?"

"Understanding," Clark spoke. "You didn't run the story."

"The world is full of decent people," Lois shrugged. "You weren't ready. I appreciate that. You're a good guy, Clark. You deserve more than this after everything that has happened to you."

Clark had never heard anyone speak to him like that before. The last time had come from Lizzie. He had no chance to reply to her as he heard a sound in the distance.

"They're coming," he declared. "You should go Lois."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Clark assured her. "Go."

She did as Clark had said, rushing back to the barricades behind him. Clark turned around to face whatever was coming for him, knowing that this moment would change everything.

...

"And Lois Lane has been taken onboard of the spacecraft along with the mysterious Kal-El. We do not know anymore than that. Nothing has been spoken about General Zod or what he intends to do. We can only sit and hope that this is the end of the threat of attack. Kal-El has done what is required of him. Now, we can sit and wait, and hopefully rest easy."

Lizzie continued to watch the news as she dried off the mugs behind the counter. She waited patiently, time seeming to tick by slowly as she looked out the window to Metropolis. She worked in the lower area near NY of course, easy to get home to. She kept quiet for the rest of the day, the news becoming a murmur in the background as they replayed the same thing over and over again.

It wasn't until the evening almost stuck when she heard a loud booming sound. Roberta came out the back, the other waitresses also rushing to the window along with the customers. Lizzie dropped her towel onto the side, looking to Roberta as she shrugged.

"No idea, honey," she said, walking over to an empty gap by the window. Lizzie stood by her, looking over to the thing which towered above the skyline, engulfing everything in a large shadow.

"What the hell is that?" a man shouted out.

"It looks like a giant tripod," another one spoke.

Lizzie said nothing for a moment as the machine dominated the Metropolis skyline.

"It isn't good," Lizzie mumbled to Roberta.

"You can say that again, sweetheart."

"What should we do?" she whispered back as the thing continued to remain stationary. "Shouldn't we go?"

"I don't know," Roberta said. "How far can we go?"

Lizzie's eyes widened as a loud screech sounded trough the Metropolis. She covered her ears, watching as the thing began to move up to the skyline. But that wasn't the thing which scared her the most.

"Oh shit..." Roberta drawled.

They all stood and watched as buildings began to move up to the machine, floating in mid air. It wasn't just buildings. It was everything that could be found. Lizzie backed away from the window, screams echoing through her as everything collapsed back onto the ground, shaking it as it did so.

It was only then when she left the diner and ran as fast as she could.

...

A/N: Once again, thanks to everyone reviewing and do let me know what you think. More to come soon!


	16. Chapter 16

"There's a girl."

His congregation looked at him as if he had gone mad. They knew that he had suffered from breathing in the same air as humans. He wasn't used to it and it had made him weak for a few moments. He had been dragged back to the safety of a ship by some Krytonians who had been taken with him, but now he was rambling about some girl. He had demanded Faora and Nam-Ek to take care of Kal-El. He was stronger than Zod had thought. He honestly believed that beating Clark Kent wouldn't be that difficult.

But he was well adjusted to earth. He was becoming a thorn in Zod's side. He had seen Clark's deepest memories. He had thought that they had included the woman he had brought on board the ship, but that wasn't true. There was another one. Zod had seen Clark's thoughts. He knew all about him. He knew everything that Clark didn't want him to know about Elizabeth Rose Lowe.

"What does a girl have to do with anything?" One man questioned Zod. "Kal-El can easily be defeated. Faora and Nam-Ek will see to that."

"Kal-El is stronger than we had first thought," Zod snapped back. "They'll flee soon enough. I know that without a doubt."

They all said nothing as Zod looked around, wondering who he should pick to go and retrieve this girl.

"You two," he pointed to them.

A girl wouldn't be a strong opponent for them, even in her own city.

"The girl, Elizabeth Lowe, bring her to me."

"Where will you be, General?"

"I'm going to the ship which our dear Kal-El found in the Arctic. Don't be long about it. I imagine he will be with me soon enough."

...

Elizabeth ran as fast as she could, heading down to where James worked. She kept looking around her as people screamed for their lives, begging for all of it to stop. Lizzie had no idea if she could make it to James in time or not. Her heart was racing and her blood was pumping through her so loud that she could hear it in her ears. Looking above her, she saw a small ship move over the skyline. It most certainly wasn't from Earth, she could tell that much.

Rounding the corner, she bumped into a man running in the opposite direction to the left. Everyone was scattered, no one knowing the right way to go. It didn't seem as if there was any escape from any of this. She continued to move, looking behind her with every stop which she took, wondering how long it would be until the destruction reached her.

"Oh God," she grumbled. "Don't panic, Lizzie. Keep going...Clark...he...he'll be safe...he has to be...he's like no man in this city...he'll be safe..."

She fell to the ground after her muttering. It wasn't that she wasn't looking where she was going. Far from it, she knew exactly where she was heading. She looked up, the sight in front of her something which made her blood run cold. Two men towered above in her in strange looking suits, helmets covering their heads and their eyes glistening down onto her.

Their ship was parked down another alleyway as Lizzie moved back on her hands, trying to push herself away from the aliens before her.

"Elizabeth Lowe," one spoke, his voice deceivingly soft to her ears.

"No," Lizzie lied. "You've got the wrong gal."

The two of them looked to each other, smirks tugging at their lips as they did so. Lizzie continued to move away from them. She didn't get far as one grabbed hold of the ponytail in her hair. She screamed out in pain as people ran around her, not paying any attention. They knew that they couldn't help her. They could only save themselves.

"We somehow don't think so," one of them said, grabbing her to stand upright. She fought against them, trying to use her elbow against their thick uniforms. She seemed to be doing more destruction to herself that anyone else. She yelled out as one slapped her across the face, stopping her from protesting. She cried out, blood spluttering her lip as she spat in his face, refusing to be taken without a fight.

"I am sure Kal-El wasn't attracted to you for your pathetic strength," one of them laughed, slinging her body up against the wall. She groaned as her front made contact with the brickwork, loudly groaning in protest as a hand snaked around her neck, suffocating her slowly.

"No," Lizzie grumbled out. "Let...me...go..."

"No can do," he said. "Our General wants a word with you."

Lizzie continued squirming until unconsciousness finally came to her.

...

"How very nice of you to join the world again."

Lizzie peeled her eyes open, looking around her surroundings. None of it made any sense to her. She jumped back slightly, shaking her head as she did so. She pushed herself from the ground, her hand moving to her swollen lip as she finally saw a tall figure sat in a large seat. She knew that she definitely wasn't in Metropolis anymore. She didn't take to stand, too scared to contemplate that as she saw him watch her.

"So, you are the mysterious mortal," he snarled at her. "His precious Elizabeth."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elizabeth whispered her lie back to him. "I have no idea why I am here."

"Oh, I am sure you do," he told her.

She tried to move her legs, only to find that she had been tied at the ankles along with her wrists. She pushed against the restraints, urging her body to move itself from the seat which the alien sat on. What else could she call him? He was an alien, but more than that, she was sure General Zod wasn't working with Clark at all.

"I thought that restraining you would be the best."

She looked at the material binding her. It felt like plastic as it dug into her skin, leaving its indentations in its wake.

"It isn't like I have any strength against you, is it?" Lizzie snapped back. "Your men proved that to me. You're all super powerful."

"Or you're super weak," he repeated to her. "Which one is it, Lizzie?"

"No idea," Elizabeth said. "Where am I?"

"On your way back to Metropolis," Zod said, looking out the clear pane in front of him. He was currently travelling over the ocean, the sight of the World-Builder something which astounded him. "I'm intending to destroy your planet and restore Krypton to all of its former glory."

"That's what the machine is?" Lizzie checked. "You're flattening the world! How can you do that? There are millions of people whose lives are at risk!"

"You sound just like Kal-El," he snidely replied. "Krypton's conditions differ to that of this planet's. We intend to take it, regardless of what anyone does."

Lizzie shook her head at him as he veered the ship to the right slowly, the sight of Metropolis something wonderful from miles away. He couldn't believe what was happening. Krypton needed to be reborn, and he would see to it that it would be.

"You seem to have everything planned out," Elizabeth replied. "I don't see any reason for me being here."

"You wouldn't," Zod said. "Are all you humans this dense?"

"I don't know," Lizzie replied in a snarky tone. "Are all aliens this rude?"

"Most," Zod said, not bothering to rise to her taunts. "At first we thought the other woman was the one to make Kal-El see to our bidding...and then I looked into his mind. I saw all of it, Lizzie. That's what he calls you, isn't it? His beloved Lizzie."

"You can't use me against him," Lizzie assured Zod. "Clark will never let you do anything to this world. Besides, he doesn't care for me as deeply as you seem to believe. I'm married, and not to him."

"Your status changes nothing," Zod said. "It does not change the way Kal-El feels. He is weak. He is like his father. It will be his downfall."

"Or it will be his making," Lizzie mumbled back, trying to pull her wrists from their restraints. She groaned at the contact, doing her best to get rid of the pain she was feeling.

"You will soon see that there is no escape," Zod said. "And when I have thrown your mangled corpse by his feet, I will soon see to it that he suffers the same fate."

Lizzie ground her teeth together, refusing to believe anything which Zod was saying to her. It sickened her more than she cared to admit.

"You'll never get away with this," she assured him. "Clark will see to that."

"So much faith in your adored Kal-El," Zod muttered. "I cannot wait for you to see that your faith has been misguided. Perhaps I shall kill you in front of him...then you can see his tortured face..."

"Shut up," Lizzie snarled as Zod chuckled, looking at the plane which threatened to stop him from carrying out his plan. He could see it clearly, Zod's eyes focused on destroying it. Lizzie turned her attention to follow his gaze, looking at him as he spoke.

"Target that aircraft." He spoke.

Lizzie knew that wasn't a good thing to do. She could tell instantly that he was making some form of a bad move. She tried to move to stop him, unable to do so as the ship suddenly shook. She screamed out as it tilted, her body sliding down to hit the wall as a blue light shone around where the ship had been destroyed. She lifted her gaze, pushing her hair from her eyes as she saw him stood on the floor, his eyes alight with fire and glaring at Zod.

She took in the suit for a few moments and the red cloak which flew behind him as he glowered at Zod.

"Stop!" Zod snapped. "If you destroy this ship, you destroy Krypton."

He took a moment to think about what he had just said, too intent on destroying Zod in front of him to notice Lizzie in the corner.

"Krytpon had its chance!" he yelled back.

Lizzie shrieked loudly as a bright reddish light came from his eyes, moving down the ship and cutting it with ferocity. Zod tumbled from his seat as the ship plummeted downwards, Lizzie crying loudly as she screamed for Clark.

"Clark!" she yelled out to him "Clark! Please!"

It took Clark no time at all to recognise who was calling his name as he stopped using his eyes and his gaze softened as he saw her stood sat there, unable to move. He rushed forwards, picking her up into his hold as she managed to open her arms wide enough to wrap around his neck. Zod had disappeared, nowhere to be seen as she yelled loudly at Clark, her ramblings incoherent.

He pressed his fist against the panel of the ship, smashing it away to reveal the open skyline of Metropolis. Lizzie kept hold of him, refusing to let go as he flew away as fast as possible from the ship, destruction entering its path as he moved from it.

"It's okay," Clark spoke soothingly to her as she shook in his arms. "You're safe."

"I'll agree when I'm on the ground," Lizzie promised him. He couldn't help but smirk softly at hearing her, finding a safe place amongst the rubble to hide her until he came back for her. He set her down on her feet, untangling her arms from his neck and keeping an arm around her waist to hold her upright.

"When did Zod take you?" Clark asked her, snapping the material from her wrists with ease. He pulled the ones on her ankles off too. She kept her hands on his shoulders, steadying herself as she took a moment to think, her mind completely askew.

"I don't know," she said. "I was...that thing had come...I was running and bumped into two of his henchmen or something. And then I was there...he said he was going to keep me and use me against you. I did warn him how stupid that was." Lizzie said, her voice on the verge of hysterical as Clark held her by the waist again, feeling her body shaking due to adrenalin.

"I didn't know that this would happen," Lizzie whispered. "I told him that I was only a friend. He wouldn't listen to me. He's going to kill you, Clark."

Clark forced himself to smirk at hearing that come from her lips. He moved his finger to wipe away the dried blood on her plump bottom lip. She winced as he caught the cut on her mouth, shaking her head back and forth with haste, unable to believe that any of this had happened to her.

"I'd like to see him try," Clark spoke. "You're going to be safe, Lizzie. I'll see to that."

"I know," Lizzie promised him.

He took in her appearance for a moment, looking at the pink uniform which she wore. It was covered in dust; her pale legs had cuts on them and were smudged in dirt. Her hair was hanging loosely from its bobble and her face was also covered in dirt. She looked an absolute mess.

"Hey," Lizzie suddenly whispered to Clark. "Is that an S? It's an S, isn't it?"

"No," Clark drawled as she pointed to his chest. "It's a symbol of hope, Liz."

"It isn't," she protested. "It's an S. Don't tell me that you're calling yourself Superman."

"I'm not, others are," Clark replied to her.

"I should have patented that," she grumbled to him.

He couldn't help but smile despite what was happening around him. He brushed some dirt from her face as he heard a plane come near. He knew that impact was imminent. He had to do something to help. He couldn't just stand there and hold Lizzie to him.

"Stay here," Clark warned her. "Don't you dare move from safety."

"Is it safe here?" Lizzie wondered from Clark, looking to the skyline as she grabbed hold of his hand. He began to hover above the ground, his hand still in hers. "Clark-"

"-Do as I say," he interrupted, a bossy side coming out to him. Lizzie frowned at that side. "Stay here, Lizzie. I'll be back for you."

"Be careful," she urged him, watching as he began to hover above the skyline.

"When am I not?" Clark wondered from her.

She watched him fly faster then. He reached the machine which towered above the skyline, a large blue light escaping it as Lizzie could do nothing but stand and watch.

Her thoughts were soon moved away from the unfolding events in the sky as she looked to the side. A large piece of building had been moved from the ground, flying over her head. Lizzie screamed loudly, ducking down onto the floor, scratching her bare skin as she heard it impact with a building which was still intact. She looked around her, wondering what the noise was before she saw him emerging from the rubble.

She didn't care that Clark had told her to stay still; she was not going to hang around and wait for him to get to her again. She rushed forwards, jumping over any bricks which stood in her way as she heard his breaths catch up with him. She had barely made it twenty metres before he took hold of her wrist, stopping her from going anywhere.

"I don't think so," he snarled at her as a loud crashing came from the sky.

His attention turned back up to his World-Builder and he watched as the light shrouded it. His face fell as he realised that Kal-El had destroyed it. He had destroyed their last chance at building another Krypton. Zod felt his rage boil to the surface then as he dragged Lizzie through the rubble, going too fast for her to stand on her feet. She fell behind him, being dragged on the ground as she heard her body knock on anything in its path. She groaned out, too drained to scream at the pain.

He pushed her to the floor as he came to a large clearing above where the World-Builder should have been. He could see Kal-El in the distance, his sight making him out with the figure of a woman. His lip curled upwards as he saw her move closer to Kal-El, her hands on his neck as he did nothing.

"Look what we have here," Zod sneered. "Now this you have to see."

He hovered over the ground, grabbing Lizzie and dragging her closer towards the scene. He stopped a safe distance back, keeping quiet as he pushed her to the ground. She moved her gaze over to the scene, her eyes widening as she saw Lois wrapped in Clark's hold.

She was moving closer to him, Clark doing nothing to react.

"See what we have here," Zod said, bending down to whisper into her ear. Zod refused to be beat. He refused to let Kal-El get away with this. He could see that he wasn't moving. She was the one who was initiating the movement. He was simply frozen.

"He's found someone else to move on to," Zod whispered, bending down to whisper in Lizzie's ear. "Perhaps the guilt will eat him up when I present your deformed body to him...perhaps I will tell him how you sat here and sobbed over the sight...tell him how you saw all of it."

Lizzie didn't bite the taunts which were being fed to her. She knew that she couldn't. She had to be stronger than what Zod was making her out to be. She didn't say anything, knowing full well that her denial would do nothing to change the General's mind.

She had James. She had found someone else. Clark could do the same. It shouldn't hurt her. It shouldn't hurt her when her life was being threatened. But it did hurt. And she couldn't deny it for fear of openly cracking in front of the Kryptonian.

"We need to get his attention somehow," Zod spoke simply and raised his hand to slap Lizzie across the face, making her tumble to the floor and scream loud enough for Clark to hear.

...

Clark held Lois softly as she stood in front of him, her body shaking after what had just happened. He continued to ask if she was alright and safe as a moment of peace descended around the pair of them. He had his hands on her waist, steadying her as she kept her hands on his shoulders. She weakly smiled up at him, moving her hands to rest on his neck.

Clark couldn't help but stiffen at that contact.

"Thank you," she whispered to him, her breathing hitting his cheek. "You just saved my life, Clark."

"Well...I suppose so," Clark admitted.

"You did," Lois said, moving closer to him.

What was he doing? Why was he not pulling back from her? He shouldn't be letting this happen. But he found himself unable to do anything but stand still as she finally pressed her lips against his. She held him tightly as he remained still, his mind clouding with a few seconds of guilt. And he knew why he was feeling guilty.

Because she was the one who he wanted. She would always be the one who he wanted.

But she was married. She had moved on from him. But her marriage was in trouble. Clark technically _shouldn't _feel guilty. That didn't stop him though. He pulled back from Lois after a few moments, her face one of content as he looked to the side. She followed his gaze as she arched a brow, unable to hear anything.

"What is it?"

"Zod," Clark said again, looking to the distance where he stood with a woman lay on the ground in front of him. "He's got Lizzie again."

Lois nodded at that, stepping out of Clark's grip. "Go and save her."

He began to hover in the air, slowly moving towards Zod and Lizzie for the final time.

...

A/N: Thanks to anyone taking the time to read this and I do hope you will let me know what you think so far. I intend to keep writing after Man of Steel because I have many ideas to go on. Until the next update, thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

Clark moved slowly, his eyes surveying the situation in front of him. His glare was focused straight on Zod, refusing to let his eyes move down to Lizzie. He could see her from the corner of his eye, her eyes closed as tears rolled down her cheeks and Zod held her tightly by her hair, refusing to let her go.

"Look at this," Zod spoke, bending down to pick up the dust off the floor, his grip increasing on Lizzie as she squirmed underneath him and he watched the dust flow through his fingers. "We could have rebuilt Krypton on this planet, but you chose the humans over us. I exist only to protect Krypton. That is the sole purpose for which I was born. And every action I take, no matter how violent or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people."

Clark dared to look down at Lizzie for a second, his gaze stern and trying to be reassuring as she looked back at him, her hand firmly attached around Zod's wrist, trying to take some pressure from the pain he was inflicting on her.

"And now, I have no people," Zod drawled otu to Clark. "My soul, that is what you have taken from me!"

Elizabeth winced as he hauled her to her feet, his hand gripping her neck as he turned her to face him. His grip slowly increased, his fingers making sure she could still breathe as her eyes widened.

"And now...I will kill every single human on earth. I shall destroy all that has been built whilst you watch on helplessly. I shall not allow you to get away with this, Kal-El...I will take the thing which you care most about and watch it burn."

Clark remained where he was as Zod released his grip on Lizzie, pushing her back to the ground as she gasped out in pain at the forceful contact.

"And I shall start with her," Zod spoke. "Your precious Elizabeth. I will kill her slowly whilst you watch on."

"She has done nothing wrong," Clark declared. "Your battle lies with me, Zod."

She began to crawl upwards, her hands holding her weight as Zod picked her up by the arm again, slapping her forcefully around the cheek as he turned her to face him. She groaned in pain, doing her best not to scream loudly at everything that was happening.

"It does, and she is the best way to you," Zod replied. "She watched on as you enjoyed your moment with the other women...crying in despair..."

Clark looked down to Lizzie as she knelt on the ground, her gaze looking to Clark as she said nothing. What could she say? Clark had always been able to see straight through her lies. He shook his head and clenched his hands into fists as Zod kicked Lizzie's back, pushing her face flat into the dirt. He stepped forwards, his eyes narrowed as he watched Clark with hatred.

"I'll give you her broken body before your feet," Zod promised Clark. "I'll let you comfort her with your lies before she passes, and then, Kal-El, you will suffer the same fate."

"No," Clark snarled back, rushing forwards and pushing Zod from his feet and back into the rubble behind them.

Lizzie sat up again, hearing the crashing sound before pushing her tired body to its feet. She ran forwards, trying to get away from the sight so that Zod couldn't use her against Clark. The one thing she should have known was that there was no use in escaping. She'd never be able to escape him. Zod was the first one back, Clark flying closely behind him. Zod reached down, grabbing Lizzie's wrist and pulling her higher into the air. She screamed in fear, dangling from his hand as she looked around, waiting for Clark to catch up.

Clark flew, pushing his body as fast as it could go until he could hold his hand out to her, urging for her to take hold of it. He saw the building which lay up ahead, knowing full well that Zod intended to smash straight through it. The impact alone would be enough to shatter Lizzie's bones.

Lizzie reached her hand out to Clark, trying to pull as far away as she could from Zod. Clark finally grabbed it as Zod rushed through the building's glass, releasing Lizzie from his grip. Clark acted quickly, dragging her into his arms and using his own body to shield her from the tumbling glass as he fell to the ground in the building.

"Stay behind me," Clark urged her, standing up again and pushing her behind his back. He kept one arm behind his body, Lizzie's hands wrapped around it as he saw Zod knelt in front him, his eyes changing colour as he burnt the ground they stood on. Clark changed his position with haste, grabbing Lizzie's thighs and forcing her to piggyback him. Zod's eyes continued to rip through everything in its path as Clark floated in the air.

"Hold on," Clark demanded as Zod finally cut through the wall, giving them an escape route. Lizzie did as Clark had commanded, both of her arms wrapping around his neck as he moved them out to the fresh air, flying as fast as he could through the skyline. Lizzie kept her eyes closed, wondering how Clark would ever defeat someone as enraged as Zod.

He lowered her to the ground, fully intent on going back to the air, but Zod was quicker. He was on the ground opposite Clark, lunging for him with his clenched fists. Clark nudged Lizzie in the shoulder, pushing her to the side and discarding her as she watched the two of them swing at each other. Clark carefully avoided some punches. But Zod soon gained the upper hand, kicking Clark down to the ground.

Lizzie moved without thinking, rushing to Clark's side. She didn't get far as Zod grabbed her by the wrist once again, his other hand moving to punch at Clark. Clark was quicker, managing to pick himself up from the floor and grab Lizzie too, snatching her from Zod's grasp before he moved up the side of the building. Lizzie kept her legs wrapped around Clark's waist, looking over his shoulder as Zod glared up at them.

"There's only one way this ends, Kal," Zod assured Clark. "Either you die, or I do."

He began to advance onto the building, scaling it as if it were no match for him. Clark flew away again then, moving from Zod and his anger as the General followed them. Clark went lower as they came to a construction site, looking around for Zod to make his move. He soon did, a metal beam in his hands as Lizzie buried her head into Clark's shoulder blade, unable to watch as he used the heat from his eyes to aim at Zod. It seemed to have no effect, for he kept coming at Clark until he hit him around his side with the end of the beam, missing Lizzie as she clung onto Clark. Kal felt himself turn through the air, swapping his position so that he was the one to land on his front, stopping Lizzie from bearing the impact of the weight. She rolled off of him, watching as he turned over and looked at her, his eyes holding something she had not seen in a long time.

Fear. He was scared that he wouldn't win.

"I was bred to be a warrior, Kal," Zod said as Clark pushed himself to sit up, helping Lizzie as he did so. "Trained my entire life to master my senses. Where did you train? On a farm?"

Kal watched in worry as Zod bent over, shedding his armour from his body as he became ready to finally finish the battle he was engaged in. Kal El could never win against him.

Clark saw what he was doing and acted quickly, pushing himself to his feet and taking hold of Lizzie's hand, dragging her to hover above the ground as he held her in his arms. Zod looked up at the pair of them, a smirk on his face as he shook his head back and forth.

"You can't protect her, Kal. You can't protect any of them."

Clark began to fly again, doing his best to get Lizzie somewhere safe. But nowhere seemed to come. He did his best to outdo Zod, flying with as much strength as he could muster. It wasn't long until he caught up with Clark, grabbing him by his cloak and twirling him around through the sky before he hurtled through a building. Lizzie screamed as Clark did his best to keep her in a ball in his arms, his back being the thing which carried the weight of the falling obstacles.

"Clark," Lizzie cried out as she felt herself slipping from his grip. "Clark...don't..."

"I've got you," Clark promised her as Zod came into view again, rushing towards him. He hit him with full force, pushing him off track as Clark juggled Lizzie in his grip. Zod kept hold of him by his back, hurtling the pair of them downwards until the crashed through a glass roof. Lizzie shrieked as she felt shards hit her skin, piercing it as she fell from Clark's hold. She rolled from his arms, hitting the ground and landing on her back with a sudden bang. She continued to roll until she hit the wall, only then stopping.

Clark jumped to his feet as Zod came rushing towards him. He saw Lizzie as he managed to grab Zod's neck in his hold. A group of people had huddled around her limp body, making sure she was breathing as Clark looked at her.

What had he done?

Zod's gaze was set firmly on her, his body struggling to get out of Kal's hold.

"If you love her so much," he snarled. "Then you can mourn for her."

"No!" Kal snapped, drawing the attention of the family who was knelt beside her. They stood with haste as they saw Zod's eyes change colour and his heat vision aimed straight for them. They huddled into the corner by Lizzie as Clark watched her slowly peel her eyes open, looking around for him. She tried to move. She tried to drag her body to safety as Zod continued to move for her.

"Zod...you don't need to do this...stop it..."

Zod ignored Kal, too intent on aiming for Lizzie as she struggled to move any further.

"No!" Clark roared as he took hold of Zod's neck and twisted it, the snapping sound echoing around the hall as Zod's limp body fell before Clark's feet. Clark knelt to the ground, dropping to his knees as he shouted out loud, his distress apparent to everyone around.

He looked at Zod's body, unable to believe that he had just killed someone. Clark was not like that. He was no killer. He was soon snapped from his thoughts as he saw Lizzie on the ground, laid on her side and turning to face him. He moved slowly then, pushing himself to stand up and move towards her. The family who had been watching her looked to him, clearly in shock at what they had just seen.

"Go," he told them. "I have her."

They looked at him with caution before disbanding. Clark knelt down by her side, using his vision to see if any bone had been broken. She looked as though she had managed a lucky escape. She was covered in cuts and bruises though; some shards of glass were poking out from her bare legs. Clark took a moment to wrap his arm around her waist, dragging her upwards so that he could rest her against his side. She laid her head on his chest, her breathing shallow as Clark kept his arm around her, his other hand pushing the dirt from her pale skin.

"You're going to be safe," Clark whispered to her, his fingers pulling her hair from her eyes as she nodded weakly against him. "I've got you now."

"Clark," Lizzie grunted out his name. "I...I was so scared..."

"I know," Clark said, but she shook her head.

"I was scared for you," she admitted after a moment. "I thought he was going to kill you."

"So did I," Clark admitted with a gulp. "But you're safe now. That is all that matters, Lizzie. You being safe."

She nodded and closed her eyes again, slow tears falling down her cheek as she felt her throat clench up.

"Clark!" a sudden voice snapped.

Lizzie didn't need to open her eyes to know who was stood in front of the pair of them. She kept them closed, pretending to be too exhausted to even contemplate opening them. She didn't want to look at her. She didn't want to see her face at that moment in time.

"Lois," Clark gasped her name, another pang of relief coming through in his tone. "You're safe."

"So are you," she agreed. "I...the family who left said that an ambulance would be needed. One is on the way now for her."

"I see," Clark replied vaguely. "I'll stay with her until it arrives."

"Are you sure that's a wise idea? I could stay-"

"-No," Clark cut her off, a solemn shake of his head. "I'll wait with her. I'm sure her husband will find her...I'll let him know where she is..."

"Oh God," Lizzie suddenly complained. "James is going to flip out."

"I'm sure he'll just be happy that you're safe," Clark replied in a mumble. He didn't feel like feigning enthusiasm at that moment in time. "I know I am."

"I'd be in a worse state if it wasn't for you."

"No," Clark disagreed with that analysis. "You wouldn't, Lizzie. You'd have been safe if it wasn't for me...Zod would never have come after you..."

"Shut up," Lizzie mumbled as Lois saw the paramedics draw closer to them. She waved her hands in the air, grabbing their attention. "You can't turn back time, Clark. You've known me for years. You've known me longer than Zod has."

"That's not the point," Clark reasoned with her. "The point is that I have hurt you again, haven't I? I've managed to drag you into my mess again."

"And what are you proposing?" Lizzie wondered. "Don't you dare say to stay away from me, Clark Kent, because I am not having that. I've gone too long without you. I'm not going any longer."

"I've been bad news for you all along," Clark contemplated as she looked up this blue orbs. "I always have been. I always will be, I assume."

"No," Lizzie found the strength to snap. "Don't leave me, Clark...not again...not now...please...I don't blame you for any of this."

"I blame myself," Clark assured her. "You have a husband, Lizzie. You could have a life...a safe life..."

"A miserable life," Lizzie complained as the paramedics came closer and her time began to run out. "Do you know how I felt on the morning of my wedding?"

Clark said nothing, knowing full well how she felt. He had been in her backyard.

"I sat there for hours, Clark, wondering if you would come back." She finally admitted to him. "I spent hours...wondering if I would have felt any different if you hadn't kissed me when I was seventeen...but...I knew that I wouldn't have..."

The paramedics regarded Clark for a moment as he stood up, resting Lizzie's back against the wall as she took hold of his hand refusing to let it go. Clark looked back down at her, watching as her eyes remained strong and adamant in his gaze.

"Don't you dare leave," she warned him. "Not again."

Clark said nothing as the paramedics watched him whilst tending to Lizzie. Clark looked over to where Lois stood; a small smile on her face as she folded her arms around her waist. He managed to force himself to smile back at her, the motion vague before he turned back to watch Lizzie being tended to. He listened with intent to her list of injuries before she was told that rest in a nearby hospital would be the key. They lifted her onto the stretcher they had brought as she looked at Clark before passing by him, silently urging him not to disappear again.

Lois said nothing as she moved closer to him, watching Lizzie being taken away for medical care. Clark would find somewhere to change before going to find where she had been taken. He didn't intend to leave her alone for long, not after her pleas. He never could deny her what she wanted. He doubted he would ever be able to.

"She's a tough girl," Lois said simply. "She must have been to withstand Zod."

"Yeah," Clark agreed limply.

Lois reached out and took hold of his hand, knowing full well that Clark Kent still had the same feelings for Lizzie that he had held sixteen years ago.

"I get it," Lois said. "You're still in love with her. I had an idea about that when I kissed you...well...before..."

Clark kept quiet then, not thinking about the kiss between them. He took a moment to compose his thoughts into coherence before he spoke.

"She will always be special to me," Clark said, "but...by me being close to her...she seems to end up hurt all the time. That isn't fair on her."

"Life isn't fair," Lois said. "Besides, how many more alien invasions are there going to be?"

"I don't know," Clark said. And he didn't know. He had no idea what was out there. "I need to change and go to her...make sure she's going to be alright..."

"Okay," Lois said back to him. "What will you do then?"

"Go home to my mom for a while," Clark shrugged. "Then I don't know."

"You'll look after yourself, won't you?"

"You too," Clark urged her, beginning to walk away to find a safe spot to fly from.

"Hey, Clark!" Lois called after him. He turned back around to see her smirk. "You always know where I am...if you need to talk..."

He nodded in gratitude before wandering off again, his mind too intent on visiting Lizzie in the hospital.

...

A/N: 100 follows! Thanks all so much for reading this and do let me know what you think so far!


	18. Chapter 18

"I'll be coming over in the next day." Clark promised his mother as he spoke to her on her cell. He had called her as soon as he had shed himself of his suit. He'd tucked it into a duffel bag he'd found and changed into normal clothes. A shirt and jeans now covered his body as he made his way to the hospital in New York.

"Are you sure you're safe?" Martha checked with her son.

"I'm fine," Clark promised his mother after a second. He looked up to the New York skyline, looking at how unharmed it was. Considering it was so close to Metropolis, Clark was shocked that it was unscathed.

"And Lizzie?" Martha whispered. "You took her back to her apartment, didn't you? Is she hurt?"

Clark took a second to close his eyes and gulp loudly. He shook his head, his free hand running through his hair as he thought about what his mother had just said. He stood by the phone booth, holding the phone tightly in his hand as he thought about Lizzie and what she had gone through.

"Zod found her," Clark mumbled. "He intended to use her against me. She is in hospital with a few cuts and bruises. I'm going to see her in a minute."

"Poor girl," Martha sighed. "What are you going to do about her, Clark? You know her marriage is unstable."

"I know," Clark confirmed. "She needs time, mom. Besides...every time I am with her...well...something bad happens."

"Clark," Martha sighed. "Don't do anything stupid, okay? Look after her. She needs a friend at the moment. Her mother is still with me...she's insufferable...I've never met such an annoying woman before."

"Is she still shaken up?" Clark wondered, recalling how Lizzie's mother had been there when Zod had dared to attack his mother. Martha had promised her son that she would calm Ellie down and make her understand what she had just seen. It had taken three shots of whiskey, but she had managed.

"She's...she knows that it is you, Clark. She won't say anything. I made sure of that. She'll definitely keep her mouth closed when she hears how you saved Lizzie from Zod."

"Lizzie should never have been taken captive by Zod." Clark responded, still feeling ridiculously guilty about everything that had happened to her. "Look, I have to go and see her, mom. I shall come home soon. Look after yourself, okay?"

"You too, Clark," Martha said. "I love you...so much, Clark."

"Love you too, mom."

Clark hung the phone up and moved slowly through the streets again. He entered the hospital, noting how busy it was before waiting his turn at the reception area. He stood quietly, enquiring where Lizzie had been taken. He finally found her in a ward, her bed at the bottom of it by the window. She was alone, sat up on the bed and running her hands over each other.

"Clark," she whispered as soon as she saw him approach. He smiled at her, dropping his suit to the floor before sitting in the small chair. Lizzie couldn't help but smirk at how oversized he looked in comparison to the tiny seat. He leant forwards, clasping his hands together as he observed the plasters and stitches which covered her pale skin.

"What have they said?" he asked her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lizzie said, shaking of his concern. "I just have a few cuts and bruises. There's nothing seriously wrong with me. They say I will be discharged by tomorrow morning."

"That's good," Clark whispered as if it wasn't good news. "What are you going to do?"

"Fly back to Smallville for a while," she replied. "I need to see my mom...make sure she's safe..."

"I just called my mother," Clark spoke. "Your mother is with her. She's shaken up, but she's safe. She knows about me."

"She won't say anything," Lizzie said, tucking her hair behind her ears as Clark nodded in agreement.

"I know," he promised her, keeping quiet for a few seconds as he looked down to his hands, unsure of what he should say to her.

"The hospital called James," Lizzie said, bringing up a new line of conversation. "He will be here in a while."

"I see," Clark mumbled. "I'll be gone before then. I'm sure he'll want to take care of you...go back to Smallville with you..."

"No," Lizzie whispered.

She said nothing for a few moments, looking out of the window to the darkening sky around her. Her eyes watered as she took a few moments to think about what she was doing. She never knew if she was making the right decision.

"I can't go with James," Lizzie declared. "I don't want to cheat him anymore. I don't love him...I never truly have...not like I should. I can't toy with his emotions anymore. He deserves me to be straight and upfront with him."

Clark said nothing in response to that, choosing to keep his mouth closed as he thought about what she had just said.

"I need time to think," Lizzie said. "I need to know what I want in the future...and James isn't it..."

She looked back to him, her eyes wide as Clark watched her back. She said nothing for a second, wondering if she should bring up Lois Lane. She didn't want to. She didn't want to talk about her at that moment in time. But she was intrigued as to how Clark felt about her.

"Can't you wait until tomorrow?" Lizzie suddenly asked Clark. "Can't we fly back together?"

"Why?" Clark wondered from her.

"To make sure that you don't disappear on me again," Lizzie said harshly.

Clark could see her eyes glimmering, threatening to cry as she thought about the long years she had gone without Clark Kent.

"I won't," Clark promised her. "Lizzie, look, we need-"

"-I just need a friend, Clark," she interrupted him, far too drained to even contemplate talking about how she felt. She didn't know how she felt. She needed time to comprehend everything for herself. "I just need to make sure you won't go away again. I don't expect anything to be how it was...like...when we were seventeen..." she trailed off, a small hysterical laugh escaping her. "I mean, we both moved on, didn't we? I found James. You found Lois."

Clark looked startled for a moment as Lizzie continued to blabber on.

"So I don't think anything else...well...I don't know what will happen-"

"-Lizzie, I don't-"

"-So that is all there is to it."

"Lizzie," Clark exasperated. "Lois...she isn't...I don't know..."

"Lizzie!"

Clark could no longer speak to her. She tore her gaze away from his, looking over to James. He was rushing down to her, pulling at his tie to release it from his throat as he finally reached her. He bent down by her side, pulling her into his arms. Clark awkwardly coughed and stood up, looking at her as she remained emotionless.

"Lizzie, I've been so worried about you...I've panicked about everything...wondering where you were...what had happened to you..." James spoke incoherently.

"I'm fine," she promised him. "They're discharging me tonight. Look, James, I need to talk with you."

"Okay," James said, turning around to look at Clark, his brow arched as he did so. "Who is he?"

"Clark Kent," he introduced himself before Lizzie had the chance to speak for him. He held his hand out, willing to shake James's. "I'm an old friend of Lizzie's."

"Oh, yeah," James said, not too sure how to handle that piece of news. He held his hand and took hold of Clark's, feeling how firm his shake was. "Lizzie's spoke of you quite a bit."

"He is my childhood friend," Lizzie replied. "You know that, James."

"I've never seen him before," James replied to her curt tone. "Anyway, it has been a pleasure to meet you...even in these circumstances..."

"Of course," Clark said. "Likewise."

Clark exchanged a brief and knowing look with each other before Clark walked out of her room. He wandered the streets for a while, knowing that he had no money on him to stay anywhere. Clark had nothing. He called an airline and managed to recall his credit card details to book him two seats on a plane back to Kansas the following day. And then he waited until the next morning to pick Lizzie up from her apartment.

...

"You're giving up on the marriage, Lizzie," James spoke the following day.

He was stood by the door as she packed another bag, preparing to leave for as long as she needed. She wore a flowing summer dress, revealing her scars and cuts. It hurt far too much to cover them up with tight fitting clothes. She had seen Clark outside the apartment on the street, waiting for her to come to him.

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry, James. It wouldn't work...I didn't want it to work...not deep down...I care for you. I always will care for you. I just can't love you like you deserve. Someone better will come along. You will see that."

"Will I?" James wondered as she placed her satchel on her shoulder and grabbed the case she had packed.

"Yes," Lizzie promised him. "Please, James, don't quit."

"You'll make sure that you're safe, won't you?" James said, ignoring her pleas to him. She wheeled her case into the living room before he picked it up and held it in his hands.

"Of course. You do the same," Lizzie urged him.

"Come on," James said, trying not to cry. "I'll carry your case down for you."

She stood on her toes and pecked his cheek softly, allowing him to walk her down the stairs. She took her case out the apartment block where Clark stood. He took her case from her as she hailed a cab. He knew that he had to talk to her about what would happen now.

It wouldn't be until they were on the flight when Lizzie mentioned the demise of her marriage.

Clark and Lizzie had walked through the airport in silence, looking at the news channels which were on a constant loop. Clark had occasionally glanced over to her, wondering what he should say to her. She'd just walked out of her marriage; Clark really did not have any words of advice after that.

They walked in silence to the plane, sitting in the two seats by the window. Lizzie took the window seat whilst Clark took the aisle one. He pushed his duffel bag up and above the seat before sitting down next to her.

"I'm filing for divorce as soon as I come back."

Clark fastened his belt as she did the same, busying her hands as he nodded once, his gaze focused on the seat in front of him.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Clark checked with her. "You don't need to make a hasty decision."

"I'm not," Lizzie replied quickly. "You know that I've been thinking about this for a while. It's something which I have to do. Besides, James deserves someone who is going to be there for him. He doesn't need me."

Clark didn't know what he should say to her then. He didn't know what he could say that would make anything better for her. She looked tired beyond belief, as if she needed a good night's sleep. She was still bruised on her pale skin, her foundation trying to cover the bruise on her face. Her lip was still swollen and a bruise covered her neck. Clark hesitantly moved out to rest his fingertips on her neck, looking along the purple mark as she inhaled sharply.

"Sorry," Clark whispered to her. "Lizzie...I don't know what to say to any of this...everything that has happened-"

"-If you say it is your fault one more time, then I promise you that you won't be speaking much longer," she growled lowly, tired of hearing Clark blame himself for everything that had happened to her. "Look, you didn't ask for this alien invasion, did you? It is hardly your fault that this happened, Clark. Just stop blaming yourself."

He gulped but nodded, knowing that Lizzie's temper was not something which he should anger further. He would keep quiet from then on about it, but it still didn't stop the way he felt. It still didn't stop the guilt he felt at seeing her.

"What are you going to do now?" Lizzie suddenly asked, removing his hand from her neck and holding it gently. Clark looked down at the contact along with her. She seemed to be puzzled by holding his hand. Her face was scrunched up as Clark leant in closer to her then, unable to control his actions.

"I don't know," he admitted to her. "I'll have to blend in now, won't I? I know who I am...I know that there is no one else like me out there..."

Lizzie laughed softly at that, her brows and eyes moving in disbelief. "If only you could have done that when you were seventeen."

Clark pondered her words for another few moments, holding her hand tightly then. He moved his finger to entwine with hers, hearing her breathing fasten as he did it.

"I know," Clark replied slowly. "Perhaps things would have been different."

"We can't change the past," she replied solemnly. "Even if we could...would things have been that different..."

"I'd hope so," Clark smirked. "I know what I would have wanted."

"And what is that?" Lizzie wondered, unable to stop herself.

"You know," Clark told her. "You know that you...you know how I feel, Liz."

"I know," Lizzie assured him. "And you know that I care for you, Clark. I really do...but...I think...I need time to get over what has happened...and if you can't wait for me...then I understand. I really do, Clark. But I can't go from James to you. That wouldn't be right. You need time to get over a breakup. I know that I've always wanted you. I've known if for years," she paused, taking a deep breath as Clark moved his free hand to cup her cheek, holding it tenderly as he saw her almost begin to cry. "Ever since you left, I've never felt right. I thought it would pass. I thought it would be a passing fancy...but it wasn't. It never was. And then James came along. I knew that I cared for him. Of course I did. He made me happy, but I never truly loved him like he deserved to be loved. I could never give him that."

She shook her head again, Clark's thumb stroking her cheek in a soothing manner as she continued to explain herself to him.

"And then everything turned to crap. I came back to Kansas and you were there. I don't know how to explain what I felt when I saw you again, Clark. Really, I have no words for it. It was like I was seventeen again. It was like nothing had changed, except it had, no matter how much I hadn't wanted it to...because...it always has been you, Clark. You've always been the one who I wanted, but you've never been the one I could have."

Clark finished listening to her sudden revelation, his mind whirling with what she had just told him. He'd waited sixteen years for this. He'd waited far too long for it. He knew that he wanted her to be with him. He was just scared that she would be hurt because of it.

"You could say something," Lizzie replied to him. "I just poured everything out to you, and you sit there with nothing to say."

Clark moved closer to her then, his hand brushing her hair from her face. He failed to care that they were in the middle of a plane journey as he pressed his lips lightly against hers. Lizzie rested back in her seat as she continued to hold his hand, her mind awhirl as Clark pulled back from her, resting his forehead on hers. She smiled in joy then, simply content that he hadn't given up on her. That was the thing which she had feared.

"There's never been anyone else," Clark assured her. "Not since I managed to grope that ass of yours."

She swatted him around the arm then, eliciting a chuckle as he sat back again, looking to the ceiling as she leant forwards.

"You don't need to wait, Clark," she promised him. "I would understand...well...Lois seems keen on you...and she is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist."

"It's...Lois..." Clark shook his head, not sure what he could tell Lizzie. "She is like James is to you. I do care for her, Liz. I can't tell you that I don't. But it has always been you. And if you need time then I will give it to you. I will let you be for as long as you need. I respect that. I do understand."

"I just want to stay with my mom for a while," Lizzie said. "That's all the time I need. Then I will go and try to find an apartment in New York somewhere."

"You'll go back?" Clark checked.

"I have nothing in Smallville; I may as well have nothing in New York. Besides, there are more job opportunities there...not that I've applied for a job in the past few months. Where will you go?"

"Like I said," Clark replied, "I haven't thought about it deeply. I've never been someone who is keen on studying. Of course I don't find it difficult. I just found it tiresome. I may need to get some qualifications before finding a job."

"Sounds good," Lizzie agreed with that. "So why didn't you try in school?"

"Because I didn't intend to carry on with school," Clark replied. "And there was always someone who was distracting me."

"That's not fair!" Lizzie complained to him. "I did my best to push you."

"And thank you for that," Clark smirked. "Anyway, I'll drop you off at your mother's house before I go home."

"Just promise me that you won't disappear on me again," Lizzie urged him.

He bent down to kiss the top of her head tenderly. "I promise."

...

A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reading and do let me know what you think so far!


	19. Chapter 19

Clark gave Lizzie the space which she desperately needed. He kept himself busy, helping to fix his mom's house whilst Liz stayed with her mother, trying to explain everything that had happened. Ellie had promised her daughter that she would say nothing about Clark and his powers. Lizzie had gratefully hugged her mother, promising her that Clark was a good man and would never do anything to hurt anyone.

She didn't truly know what she could say about that. She did believe her daughter. Lizzie had known Clark longer than she had. She supposed she just feared something which was unknown. Who didn't? Lizzie called Clark to let him know that she would be returning to New York the following day. Her mother had given her some money to help her get a flat, on the condition that she would try to find a job somewhere. Lizzie had agreed, wondering if there would be any jobs in Metropolis. A lot of people had left to find work elsewhere, fearing another alien invasion coming their way.

Clark had told his mother that he would leave Smallville too. He needed to find a job. He needed to be somewhere where no one would question him. Somewhere he could be for dangerous situations. Clark had a gift which he didn't intend to let go to waste. He would keep people safe in Metropolis. Whether it be on a small scale, or a large scale, he would make it happen.

Metropolis took a while to build itself back to the concrete jungle which it once had been. Clark had managed to find an apartment near Lizzie's, often popping round to see her and share Chinese food. It wasn't until one night when he found out about the internship he'd managed to get. He'd done well in the interview, he knew that much. His intelligence couldn't be doubted.

But then he had to tell Lizzie.

"Hey." She smiled widely when she opened the door to see Clark stood there, a pizza box in his hand as he nervously looked at her.

How did he tell her?

"I'm sorry it's still a mess," Lizzie complained to Clark as he followed her into the living area. Her apartment was small, decorated in creams and whites. The kitchen was fairly new with everything that she needed. A small door led to her bedroom and another one into the bathroom. Her sitting area was filled with a bookshelf, holding everything that she had read. She had no TV, deeming it to be a unnecessary expense when she had a laptop in her room.

"Not as bad as my place," Clark said. And he was right. Lizzie had seen Clark's new apartment. She'd tidied most of it for him as he cooked her pancakes. Clark didn't truly know what he wanted doing with the place. He'd never lived by himself in his entire life.

"I don't think anywhere is as bad as your place," Lizzie replied, a smug grin on her face as Clark placed the pizza on her coffee table. Her dining set was still covered in plastic. She grabbed him a beer, tossing it to him before she grabbed a coke.

"How's your day been?" Clark wondered as she made her way back to the sofa. She sat down, pulling her feet from the floor to rest beside her as Clark sat next to her, the pizza box on his lap. She moved to rest on her knees, kneeling before him on the cushions as she ate a slice.

"Tiring," she complained to him. "I managed to drop three coffee pots and an order of waffles."

"You've always been a bit clumsy," Clark reminded her and she rolled her eyes.

"It seems one customer seems intent on harassing me more than often."

"Who?" Clark wondered; his jaw tensing as Lizzie took another bite of pizza. She pulled at her dress, tugging it down her bare thighs as Clark watched her.

"Bill," she complained. "He always does it. I don't think there's anything to worry about. He just enjoys slapping my ass."

"Well he shouldn't," Clark snapped back. "Who does he think he is?"

"It's nothing I haven't had before. Trust me, Clark, men like to leer. It's common."

"It's disgusting," Clark said as she finished her slice of pizza. "Doesn't he know that you're taken?"

"I don't wear my wedding ring anymore," Lizzie said.

The extent of Clark's words rang in her ears as he thought about them himself. He'd never thought of Lizzie being taken before. Not since she told him she was signing for divorce. But then he thought about it. He thought of how the weeks had passed and he'd been with Lizzie for ages.

"When you say taken," Lizzie drawled, taking the pizza box and placing it on the coffee table. "You don't mean James, do you?"

Clark gulped once, looking around awkwardly as he thought of what he meant. No, he supposed he didn't mean James. He supposed he meant himself. They hadn't said anything about being together since they'd both moved to Metropolis. Clark had simply been content to be around Lizzie, doing his best to keep her safe.

"Clark," Lizzie forced his attention back to her. "What did you mean?"

"I meant that...well..." Clark stammered. "I know you're technically not seeing me because we haven't said anything, but I thought...maybe..."

"If you're asking me out then you'd better be quick, Clark Kent," Lizzie taunted him. "You wouldn't want me to change my mind, would you?"

"I don't think you would change your mind," Clark replied with a smirk. "So...would you contemplate it?"

"Clark, I've contemplated it since I was seventeen," Lizzie laughed once, moving her body closer to his as he turned his upper half to face her, a grin on his face as he watched her. "I want nothing more than to be with you; you know that, don't you?"

"I had a suspicion," Clark said, leaning in to kiss her swiftly.

She smiled at him again and moved to rest against his side before reaching for another slice of pizza. Clark dangled his arm over her shoulders, her free hand holding his as she slowly ate. He held his beer bottle in his hands, draining the alcohol and keeping his ears pricked for any sign of disruption.

"Anyway," Clark said after a moment. "I do have some news for you."

"Oh yeah?" Lizzie asked, taking her final mouthful of pizza. "What is it?"

Clark inhaled sharply, wondering how he could tell her what he wanted. She had a right to know where he had managed to find an internship. He didn't think it would work. He had applied for a lot of places, and not once did he seriously think he would get this job. And then the letter had come through. Clark Kent had the chance to be a journalist. He had the chance to write about dangerous stories without being questioned.

"I got a job," Clark said.

"You did?" Lizzie said, sounding happier than he did. She adjusted her body to move, her head looking up at Clark as she rested her head in his lap. "Where?"

"I...promise me that you won't be mad with me," Clark urged her.

Lizzie's brow furrowed as she refused to make such a promise. She smirked, knowing that it couldn't be as scary as Clark was making it out to be.

"Why would I be mad?" Lizzie wondered. "Unless it's the Daily Planet because I applied there so many times." She joked with him.

But the look on Clark's face was so serious that she knew he wasn't joking. He bit down on his bottom lip, looking to the side as Lizzie moved away from him, standing up and placing her hands on her hips.

"You didn't," she drawled, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Tell me that you didn't."

"I didn't think I would," Clark replied solemnly. "I saw the internship vacancy in the paper-"

"-So did I," Lizzie replied. "I didn't apply because I didn't see the point. They've turned me down every time before."

"And I thought that they would turn me down too," Clark promised. "But then I had an interview and then they offered me the job. I have to take it."

Lizzie said nothing, doing her best not to be annoyed at the sudden revelation. She shook her head back and forth, a smirk of disbelief on her face as she folded her arms over her chest.

"I should have applied," Lizzie complained. "I've applied everywhere else...but never got anywhere...and now you have the job I wanted."

"You'll find something, Liz," Clark assured her. "I've applied for a load too. I honestly never believe that this would happen."

"No," Lizzie drawled out, forcing herself to smile at Clark. "I'm happy for you."

"No you're not," Clark contradicted, moving to stand to. He walked closer to her, daring to wrap his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Liz...but...this job will allow me to be in places where I can help. I can manage to get into dangerous situations and no one will ask any questions."

"I suppose," Lizzie weakly agreed with him.

"Something good will happen to you, Liz," Clark assured her, bending down to curl a finger under her chin, bringing her gaze back to his. "You're too good for it not to."

"I'm fine," she lied to him. "Listen, you need to do what is best for you. If that means working for the Daily Planet then so be it. But you do know who else works there, don't you?"

Clark took a second to nod at her question.

"Lois," he said simply. "I know she works there, Lizzie. I doubt I will be working with her."

"But...if you are...you don't think..."

"No," Clark promised her after a second, knowing full well what she was getting at. "You don't need to feel threatened, Liz. Lois is just a friend. Don't worry about that."

"It's hard not to," Lizzie complained. "She's an award winning journalist and I'm some waitress with an ass you like to grope."

Clark tried to resist a smirk forming on his lips as he heard her, shaking his head back and forth as he wrapped both of his arms around her waist, running his hands up and down her back. She placed hers on his shoulders, still unable to believe how muscular he felt underneath her grip.

"You trust me, don't you, Liz?" Clark checked and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course I do," she said. "I'm just slightly...well...worried..."

"I know," Clark said, fully understanding. "You have no need to be, Lizzie, I promise."

The two of them said nothing for a moment before Clark's ears pricked up. Lizzie sighed, recognising the change in his posture immediately. There was something strange about being around Clark when he went into Superman mode. It was like he was...well...sterner, somehow, and much more serious.

"Go," Lizzie urged him.

It had become a regular occurrence to see Clark rush out from her in an attempt to save some innocent people in the streets of Metropolis. She patted his chest quickly and moved out his arms. Clark caught her for a moment, pressing his lips against her for a second before he stepped back.

"Stay here," he told her. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll follow you on the news," Lizzie replied.

Clark dived into her bathroom and stripped down to his suit as Lizzie moved to her bedroom. She fired up her laptop and found the news webpage, clicking for a live feed of something that was happening. She widened her eyes, noting that LexCorp was the building in trouble. Apparently there had been some form of fire. It didn't take long before Superman was on the scene, dragging people to safety as Lizzie watched him.

She knew that Clark was superhuman. She was well aware that he could handle himself. It still didn't stop the worry which built inside of her when she saw him risking his life by rushing into fire. When everyone was safe it was only then when Lizzie closed her laptop and waited for Clark to return back to her.

She did wonder how long this pattern would go on for. She often found herself longing to know if this would happen every night she was with him. Clark would always put everyone else before himself, Lizzie knew that. She just worried what would happen to him all the time.

...

"The table over there needs cleaning."

Lizzie kept her mouth closed, feigning a groan as she grabbed the spray and cloth. She moved to the window seat hastily, doing her job and clearing the coffee cups.

"Hey, honey."

Another groan escaped her, much more audibly this time. She turned over to see Bill sat at a table with three other men. He never seemed to come in with the same guys. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she moved past the table.

"I'm working." She snapped at him. "And I'm not in the mood for your annoying attitude."

"I can get you in the mood."

"I'll pass," Lizzie snarled.

Ignoring the next lurid comment which came from his mouth was something which Lizzie did with ease as she looked out the window to notice somewhere familiar stood there. He held a bike in his hand, leaning it against the wall and fastening it to a bollard.

Lizzie groaned as she saw him. She didn't need Clark here when her worst customer was. Clark didn't really know how to contain his temper when it came to guys like Bill. She'd seen what he had done when Whitney Fordman insulted her. He wore a checker shirt and jeans on his body, a messenger bag over his shoulder and glasses on his face. That caused Lizzie's brow to furrow.

She filled up a coffee pot and moved from behind the counter as Clark entered the diner. He smiled as soon as he saw her, stepping closer to her and dropping his hand to her waist as he kissed her. Lizzie did nothing for a moment, leaning back after a second.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered gently.

"I finished the first day of work," Clark told her. "I remembered you told me that you finished at six. I thought I'd come and walk you home."

"You didn't have to, anyway, what's with the glasses?"

"Oh," Clark said, remembering he had put them on. He toyed with the frame for a moment, smiling back at Lizzie as she heard someone yell at her to do her job. "Sort of a disguise."

"A pair of glasses?" Lizzie said sceptically, moving to serve the coffee, tossing her head over her shoulder to talk to Clark as she did so. "They look good anyway."

"I thought so," Clark sniffed, running a hand under his nose as he moved closer to her. "I'll take a seat and wait, shall I?"

Lizzie finished filling the coffee up and turned back to look at him, nodding as she did so. Clark's gaze instantly found the racket in the corner and Lizzie rested her hand on his arm. He arched a brow before meeting her gaze again.

"Is that him?" Clark wondered.

"Yes," Lizzie admitted. "Promise me that you won't do anything rash."

"I'm not going to do anything my alter ego would."

"You refer to him as your alter ego?"

"Well, he doesn't wear glasses," Clark said and took a seat as Lizzie continued working for another half an hour.

It didn't take that long for Bill to notice the way Clark was talking to Lizzie as she bent over to clean the table he sat at. She moved away and then Bill moved.

"I'd back off."

Clark dropped the smile from his face as he turned to look at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Her. The waitress. You think I can't see you flirting with her?"

"And how is that your business?" Clark wondered.

"I was here first," Bill scoffed, "I get first dibs. I've had my eye on that one for weeks."

"So she's said," Clark snapped.

A moment of confusion came over Bill's face and Clark knew that he had to instantly spell it out to the man. Apparently intelligence didn't come to him easily.

"Do I need to explain?" Clark wondered. "She's my girlfriend."

And that earned Clark a roar of laughter from all the men by the table. Lizzie looked up from the counter she had been cleaning at the sound of laughs. She moved quickly then, dropping the cloth and resting her hands on her hips. She moved over to stand in between the two tables.

"Clark," Lizzie whispered as he looked at her, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I'm not doing anything."

"This guy is your boyfriend?" Bill checked, laughing again before he stood up. "I don't know what you see in a dork like him."

"More than I see in a jerk like you," Lizzie replied in a snap.

"Lizzie, baby, you wound me," Bill joked, moving his hands to rest on her hips, drawing her backside to his pelvis. That was when Clark stood up.

"That's enough," Clark warned him.

Lizzie fought in his grip as Clark grabbed her arm and roughly tugged her back to him.

"Says who?" Bill snapped back.

Lizzie shook her head as she stood in front of Clark, her hands on his chest as she stopped him from moving. His glare was focused on Bill as he stood in front of him. Lizzie took a deep breath before she noted the manager move to the scene.

"Is there a problem here?" she wondered.

"No," Lizzie said.

"Control him," she said, pointing at Clark. "And sit down, Bill. I'll bring you an apple pie."

"Not before I show this asshole who is boss around here."

"It's a diner," Lizzie interrupted, "not your castle. Leave it alone."

"Go home, Lizzie," the manager said. "Take your boyfriend with you."

"My pleasure," Lizzie said, tugging on Clark's hand. "Come on, Clark. We're going home."

Clark did his best to refrain himself from wiping the grin from Bill's face as he walked with Lizzie from the diner. Another waitress passed her satchel and leather jacket over the counter.

"You're not going back there," Clark said; his voice stern as he shoved his messenger bag over his shoulder. He took hold of his bicycle with one hand as Lizzie walked beside him, managing to place her jacket over her uniform.

"And what do you suggest I do for money?" Lizzie wondered. "There are sleazes everywhere, Clark."

"Then find a better job," Clark grumbled, his anger still apparent.

"Do you think I haven't tried?" Lizzie rolled her eyes. "I'm trying, Clark, okay? I'm doing my best to find something else. It isn't as easy for some of us."

"So you do resent me for working at the Planet?" Clark checked with her and she stuffed her hands into her pockets, looking straight down the busy street as she walked.

"Maybe," she admitted. "What does it matter? Resenting you won't help me get a job, will it?"

Clark looked at her for a second before biting his lip and running a hand down his chin.

"I can always...well...ask if there is anything going...Lois might-"

"-Don't you dare!" Lizzie snapped at him, standing still and attracting stares. "I don't need pity, Clark Kent. I do not need your help."

"Don't you?" Clark wondered with a scoff. "So you're going to get out of this job yourself?"

"Yes," Lizzie replied quickly. "I don't need help from you, and I don't need help from Lois Lane. I can manage on my own."

Clark said nothing back to her as he watched her vent her anger.

"Just...leave me alone, Clark. Go home."

"Lizzie-"

"-I mean it," she said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Just go home."

...

She tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to let sleep find her as she checked the clock every ten minutes. She felt bad. She knew that she shouldn't have snapped at Clark like she had done. Her thoughts soon led her to exhaustion and she allowed sleep to slowly claim her. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her waist did she stir.

"It's me," Clark whispered as she came to wake up, her fear dying down as she heard him speak.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered through a hoarse voice.

"I couldn't sleep...well...I was saving more people...but after that..."

"I know." Lizzie muttered. "I'm sorry for earlier."

"So am I," Clark admitted as she turned in his hold. He still wore his suit as he pushed her hair from her face. "I don't want to fight, Lizzie...I just...he pissed me off."

"Swearing," Lizzie observed. "You must be annoyed."

"I'm annoyed that people still treat you like crap," Clark nodded. "I'm worried for you, Liz. I know you can handle yourself, but you shouldn't have to."

"Hm," she agreed weakly, nestling closer to Clark's chest before his ears pricked up again. He groaned, knowing that he had to go.

"Look, we'll talk later," Clark assured her.

"You're going?"

"I have to," Clark replied. "I'll see you later, Lizzie...just...try not to be mad at me for too long."

"I won't be," she promised, still half asleep as Clark stood back up and headed out her room, turning his head to look back at her for a moment. "Be careful."

"Always am," Clark said and left, knowing that he would be back before he knew it.

He flew from her window, completely unaware of someone stood by her apartment block door, their eyes intent on him as he left.


	20. Chapter 20

Lizzie woke up the next morning with a stiff neck. She could vaguely remember speaking to Clark whilst she was sleeping. Turning over, she allowed her arm to hit the empty pillow next to her. And then she remembered how Clark had run off before they could have a proper conversation. She said nothing for a moment, pushing her body out from bed before she went to the bathroom to shower.

She changed with haste, covering her face in foundation before she heard a knock at the door. She hastily finished rubbing the remainder of the brown liquid on her cheek before running her hands along a spare towel as another knock sounded. She moved quickly, pulling at her uniform as she went.

"Clark," Lizzie greeted him when she opened the door.

He was stood in a pale blue shirt with a dark tie and jeans on his body. The glasses were already set on his face as she held the door open for him. He entered with a soft smile, watching as Lizzie walked back into the kitchen.

"You came here last night, didn't you?" she checked with him. "I vaguely remember speaking to you before you flew off. How did you get in here?"

Clark allowed the smirk to grown on the corners of his lips, watching her with an arched brow as she pulled out a loaf of bread.

"I am Superman, Liz," he reminded her. "I can do many things which you don't know about."

"Well...next time...knock," Lizzie mumbled, putting enough toast in for him too. She knew that Clark never tired of food. She didn't think he could blame it on his male teenage hormones now. "Anyway, why are you here this morning?"

"I'm walking you to work," Clark curtly nodded at her.

"I don't need an escort."

"I'm not-"

"-Yes, you are," Lizzie interrupted. "I assume you'll be there to pick me up tonight?"

"Possibly," Clark said. "What is so wrong with me wanting to keep you safe?"

"Nothing," Lizzie assured him. "There is nothing wrong with you wanting that. I just don't need you escorting me everywhere. Bill has done a lot worse, Clark. Honestly, you don't need to be so wound up."

She pulled a glass from her cupboard and grabbed hold of the orange juice which sat in the door of the fridge. She poured a glass as Clark came to the kitchen, leaning against the worktop as she patiently waited for the toast to finish.

"How can I help it?" Clark wondered. "He was laying claim to you as if you were his possession."

"That's all it was," Lizzie replied. "Clark, just stop this, okay? I can handle myself. Some lewd man won't change that."

"Irrelevant," Clark spoke back. "I'm taking you to work and picking you back up."

"Fine," Lizzie huffed as the toast popped up. She pulled one out and began to butter it, handing it on a plate to Clark. He chewed on it with haste, not realising how hungry he had been until he had smelt the food.

"I'm glad we've settled that." Clark nodded briskly.

Lizzie chewed on the toast as she leant next to Clark, her arm bumping against his as he finished eating and placed his plate down.

"You know you were in Superman mode then," Lizzie told him, gathering up the dishes and placing them in the washing up bowl. "You go all bossy when you're in Superman mode."

"I don't."

"Yeah, you do," Lizzie retorted. "You're much more forceful."

"I don't mean to be," Clark replied, scratching the back of his head before picking his messenger bag up from where he had left it. He flung it over his shoulder and Lizzie grabbed her own satchel.

"No...I kind of like it," she said flirtatiously before grabbing her keys.

Clark arched his brow, his mind clouding over for a moment before he dropped his hand to the small of her back and led her from her apartment block. He took hold of his bike with one hand and Lizzie's with the other, both of them walking slowly down the streets as Clark recalled what had happened the previous night to her.

He bid her goodbye when they stood outside the diner, bending down to kiss her quickly. She rested her hands on his shoulders as his forehead leant against hers and she smiled up at him, still struggling to believe that they were together. It was an odd thing.

"I'll see you tonight," Clark told her, kissing her again once more before he let her go to work.

Clark spent most of his morning doing tedious jobs. He wasn't allowed to write just yet. He needed to get an understanding of how things worked in the Daily Planet. He was pretty sure he could work his way up in time. Only then could he be a top reporter. He was stood in the photocopying room for a while during lunch break. It was only then when he saw Lois Lane again.

"Nice glasses."

Clark looked up from the machine as it continued to make a racket into his ears. He said nothing for a moment, just allowing a smirk onto his face before he pushed the glasses further onto his nose.

"I'd like to think so," Clark replied.

She went to her own machine and began to photocopy her articles on the mysterious Superman.

"Did you see Superman last night?" Lois wondered from him. "He certainly did his best to get those people out of the fire."

"Well, he has to do his job, doesn't he?" Clark replied; the smirk still on his face as he caught Lois's eyes. She laughed once then, running a hand down her hair and leaning against the wall. She looked back out to the open office area from the window to the photocopying room. Everyone seemed to have gone for lunch.

"How do you like the internship?" Lois decided to wonder.

Clark stood opposite her, rocking back and forth on his heels before sticking his hands into his pockets.

"It's good," he admitted. "I admit that I was lucky to get it straight away."

"Perry said your interview was good," Lois shrugged. "That's what got you the job here. Anyway, it's a good job...well...it will be. Even award winning journalists still have to photocopy."

"I imagine that's tiresome," Clark said with a grin. "No, I know my interview went well."

"Why do I sense there is a 'but' to this statement?" Lois wondered from Clark. "You sound particularly hesitant. Reporters have to pick up on that."

"You're smart," Clark nodded, placing another page in to photocopy twenty times. He fiddled with the machine whilst speaking to her. "It's just that Elizabeth applied her. Twice, may I add. She never got anything, and I waltz in and get a job straight away."

"I didn't know she was a journalist," Lois replied.

"She hasn't been for a long time. The company shut down and she had to find work somewhere. Waitressing seemed to be her only option," Clark said. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Something will come up for her, I'm sure of it."

"Perhaps," Lois numbly agreed. "So, you're still seeing her?"

Clark shuffled slightly then, pulling at the collar to his shirt before he nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "We're together."

"I saw it coming," Lois commented, forcing herself to smirk. What did she really know about Clark Kent, anyway? She'd met him briefly. She didn't love him, and he certainly didn't love her. No, he was too infatuated with his little waitress.

"I never did," Clark replied. "Anyway, she's fine with me having the job here...I think...she resents me a bit..."

"That's going to happen," Lois said. "You're more successful than she is."

"I'm not," Clark shook his head. "She was the one who was always intelligent. I've had my fair share of down and out jobs."

"We all have," Lois scoffed. "She has to want it. Obviously Perry didn't see a spark in her. Who really knows what Perry White looks for though? So long as the Planet doesn't shut down then I'll be happy."

Clark bit down on his bottom lip then, pulling out his photocopying as Lois spoke again;

"So, how is it adjusting to normal life?"

"Not as hard as I thought," Clark admitted. "I mean, I've only been in Metropolis for a few months, but it's going well. How have you been, anyway? I haven't seen you since...well..."

"Good," Lois said, remembering the last time she had really seen him.

She'd made the mistake of kissing him and growing far too attached to him.

"That's good then," Clark said after a small cough.

"Kent!"

Clark moved his gaze up from the photocopier as someone called his name. He arched a brow as another reporter came in, a sticky note in his hand as he read the message which had been left for Kent. He didn't know if Clark had been in the office. It was only as he moved to reception when he saw him with Lois.

"Yeah?" Clark wondered back.

"There's been a phone call for you. Apparently your girlfriend's in hospital."

Clark felt his blood freeze as he moved away, leaving the photocopying behind him. Lois stood over his shoulder, her eyes widening as she saw Clark fidget, waiting for more information to be given to him.

"Apparently some guys beat her up whilst she was on her break."

"Which hospital?"

"Metropolis General," he replied. "Do you want me to tell Perry you've gone?"

"What else is he going to do?" Lois snapped back. "He's not going to sit here."

Clark didn't listen to the pair of them bicker as he left the Daily Planet, his messenger bag over his shoulder. He grabbed his bike and rode as fast as he could towards the hospital without breaking a sweat. He dumped his bike outside the ER and waited at reception for someone to tell him what had happened. No one seemed to be very helpful as they escorted him down the long room, pulling the curtain back to reveal Lizzie sat on the bed.

He watched her for a second before pulling the curtain shut again.

"Who did this to you?" Clark asked her.

"Who do you think?" Lizzie snapped back, pulling her leather jacket tighter around her. The buttons holding her uniform had been together and that jacket was the only thing protecting her modesty. Clark perched himself on the side of the bed, leaning closer to her to wipe her hair from her face.

"Why?"

"Apparently I've been playing coy too long," Lizzie rolled her eyes as Clark cupped her cheek. "Bill...I was on my way to get a refill of my birth control...and he cornered me...I don't know what happened. He knocked me unconscious as soon as possible."

"Lizzie," Clark said her name hastily. "He didn't...he didn't..."

"No," Lizzie shook her head. "Someone found him before he could try to. He's been arrested and interviewed now."

"Thank God," Clark whispered, kissing her on the forehead. She leaned in closer to him before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Everything will be okay...everything will be fine..."

"I know," Lizzie replied in a whisper. "Do you think you can take the rest of the day off?"

"Consider it done," Clark said, pulling back to smile at her.

He saw a cut by her chin and a small bruise by her cheek. She looked relatively unharmed. Clark couldn't help but thank whoever had found her. And then he wondered what kind of a man he was to let this happen to her. He was supposed to be Superman. He was supposed to save people like Lizzie. It was his duty, but he couldn't save the one who he cared the most about.

"The nurse was just going to get the discharge papers," Lizzie explained. "She said I should take the rest of the day off. I suppose I'm lucky it is just a few cuts and bruises. There's no lasting damage."

"Hm," Clark numbly replied, not too sure what he thought of this entire situation. He kept quiet, his hand holding Lizzie's as she was discharged from hospital. He walked with his arm around her waist, grabbing his bike and sitting her on it.

"Just put your arm around my shoulders," Clark instructed her as he took hold of the middle of the handlebars and began to push her along. She sat on his seat, doing her best to keep her dress down her legs as Clark pushed her back to her apartment.

"Clark, I can walk up to the second floor," Lizzie protested as he shook his head at her protests, insisting that he be the one to carry her to her apartment. He called work and explained what had happened. Lois had been the one to answer, telling him that she had his back. He remained grateful for that before he made Lizzie a coffee.

She had changed into her oversized jumper and leggings, folding her legs up off the floor as Clark handed her the mug.

"I need to quit," Lizzie decided suddenly to Clark.

She had brought her laptop out of her room and was already searching for a new job. Clark took a seat next to her, looking at the available jobs as he sipped his own drink.

"I've known that for a while," Clark replied gruffly.

"I do have an interview. I found out this morning. LexCorp are looking for a new Personal Assistant. Apparently there have been over one hundred applicants," Lizzie said. "Maybe that will be useful."

"Maybe," Clark agreed with her. "I'm sure it will. You're intelligent enough, Lizzie. Just see what happens, but quit at the diner, for my sanity and yours."

"I will," Lizzie promised and he kissed the top of her head. "LexCorp is supposed to be the kingdom of the Metropolis. If I get in there then I can work my way up. Maybe I can even rival your internship."

"I don't doubt it," Clark assured her.

If only he had known the implications of Lizzie taking a job at LexCorp then. Maybe he wouldn't have been so happy as he sat beside her on the sofa.

...

A/N: So thanks to anyone who is still reading and I really do hope you will let me know if you still are! Thanks very much!


	21. Chapter 21

"He went into a woman's apartment after the other night's fire."

"And?"

"And..." a drawl came from the man sat across from him, a small smile on his face as he knew that his discovery could be used for something big. He was well aware that it could happen. "It is his girlfriend."

"Many people have girlfriends, David. Please get on with it."

"His girlfriend has applied to work here," David spoke back, his eyes gleaming as the bald man across from him arched a brow. He laced his hands together and rested them on the desk, looking across to his employee as he gathered the information. "She has an interview to be your PA. She has a Politics degree, comes from a small town in Kansas, divorced...and now she seems to be dating Superman."

"I see."

"She'd be a good investment, sir," David spoke with a forceful nod. "Her degree could come in handy if you run for a political position."

"I don't need some girl with a degree," he rolled his eyes as a response. "I am fine on my own. What's her name?"

"Elizabeth Rose Lowe," David said, clearly still feeling impressed with himself. And why shouldn't he? No one else had bothered to dig deep enough to find the girl. "She could be the ticket to getting him...to controlling him..."

"Maybe," he replied. "We'll soon find out, I suppose. Make sure she's hired."

"But there has to be interviews," David protested. "You don't want LexCorp to look biased, do you?"

"Are you telling me what to do?"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Then cancel the interviews. Call Miss Lowe and tell her she has the job. She starts Monday."

"As you say," he agreed with a small nod and stood up.

The man turned around in his chair, looking over the skyline of the Metropolis as he did so. His eyes scanned every building and he wondered if there was anything he hadn't played a part in. He didn't think so. He knew that he owned this city.

"And the body?" he called over his shoulder.

"In the basement, as you requested. The government believe it to have been lost."

"Good. Now go and hire my pretty new PA."

...

"Clark...Clark...wake up..." Lizzie spoke as she stood in his apartment. The clock had just struck six at night and Clark Kent had fallen asleep on his sofa. Lizzie had come over at two, Clark collecting her from her own apartment. She had made dinner in the kitchen, cooking stuffed peppers whilst he sat and watched TV on that Saturday afternoon.

It was only when she saw that he wasn't answering her when he was sleeping. She couldn't remember seeing Clark sleep in a long time. She wondered if he even really needed it. He was superhuman, after all. She left the peppers on his small dining table and moved into the living room, crouching down by his side and resting her hand on his shoulder.

He grunted once as he slowly opened his eyes and she stood up, patting him on the head.

"Dinner is on the table," she said, pulling out a pitcher of orange juice she had left in his fridge. "Besides, do you even get tired?"

Clark sat up and stretched his muscles out, pulling his arms over his head as he moved over to her. He took a seat on the left and she sat opposite, pouring the juice into glasses.

"Not physically," Clark said. "Mentally, yes. I've only had four hours sleep this week."

"That's crazy," Lizzie said, picking up her knife and fork. "Anyway, I had a call when you were sleeping."

"Oh yeah?"

"You are now looking at the new Personal Assistant to Lex Luthor," Lizzie smirked, stuffing her face with pepper as Clark smiled over at her, his look genuine as he did so. He had heard of Lex Luthor. Who hadn't? The man practically owned the Metropolis. His infrastructure and supplies to the city were vast.

"Liz, that's brilliant," Clark said.

"I know," she couldn't help but agree with that statement. "I start on Monday. I called my mom. She sounded happy...she knows it isn't what I really want to do, but it gets me out of the diner, doesn't it?"

"That's the main thing," Clark said, continuing to eat. He yawned once, draining his glass of juice as he looked across to Lizzie. "Did you want to go back to your apartment tonight or stay here?"

Lizzie almost choked on her pepper at his phrasing. She coughed loudly, her hand on her chest as she tried to spit out the piece of pepper in her throat. Clark moved around to her, patting her on the back and wrapping an arm around her waist as he finally pushed her far enough to get rid of the piece of pepper.

"Drink," Clark commanded, handing her the glass.

She did so, draining all of the liquid, only for Clark to refill it. He kept his arm tight around her as he tried not to laugh. She turned red, pushing her hair over one shoulder as she spoke into her glass;

"Was that a proposition, Clark Kent?"

Oh. Clark finally realised what she thought he had meant. He shook his head at her, hastily moving from her to sit back down in his own seat.

"No," he told her, only to receive a look of some kind of hurt. "It's not that I don't want to...I mean...I have...for a while...but I don't want to rush anything...besides...it isn't like I've actually done anything like that..."

"What?" Lizzie spat out, unable to believe her ears. "You've never done it?"

"No," Clark admitted hesitantly. "I have been a bit busy trying to save the world recently."

"Wow," Lizzie mumbled. "There wasn't a girl whilst you travelled?"

"No," Clark said. "You know I spent most of my time on a fishing boat. The rest of it was spent writing to you and wondering what I was. Besides, I bet James is your only one."

"This is turning odd," Lizzie grumbled, looking down to her pepper and cutting it further. "Yeah, of course, he is. I wasn't a college slut."

"I never thought you would be," Clark replied quickly. "Anyway, why are we talking about this? I only meant that we both don't have to be at work in the morning, do we? So why worry about going anywhere?"

"Is this coming from Superman?" Lizzie wondered. "I know you're going to end up leaving me to save some damsel in distress."

"I have to," Clark whispered. "It is my job, Lizzie."

"And I'm not saying that it isn't a noble thing to do," Lizzie assured him. "I am just saying that there are sometimes...well...I'd like to eat dinner without you running away."

Clark sighed and looked down to his food, his eyes closing solemnly.

"I want that too," Clark promised her.

"But there is always going to be some to save." She concluded. "It's not that I resent you for it, Clark. I think you're being noble. I just want you to be here for once."

"I do want to be here," Clark said.

"Of course you do," Lizzie said, trying to be a lighter edge to the conversation. She grinned mischievously at him. "My stuffed peppers are too good to miss."

"That they are," Clark smirked back. He said nothing as he saw a brief moment of sadness flicker through her eyes. He reached his hand over the table, picking hers up into his. "I am doing my best, Lizzie," Clark whispered to her. "But the other day...when you were attacked...and I couldn't even save you, Lizzie..."

"You were working," Lizzie said, trying to get him to stop blaming himself. "You couldn't do anything for me, Clark. Don't blame yourself for that. It isn't your fault that-"

"-I couldn't protect the one thing I care about," Clark interrupted her. "I manage to save everyone else, but not you."

"You save most of them from death, Clark. I didn't die."

"You don't know what could have happened," Clark complained. "I don't want to know what could have happened if someone hadn't found you. I don't want to think about it."

"Then don't," Lizzie urged him. She stood up and bent down by Clark's chair, holding his hand tightly in her own. "Please, Clark, can we not think about it? Everything will get better. It has to. I'll take this job, and you will be Superman by night and Clark Kent by day."

Clark nodded, moving his hand to cup her cheek. He kissed her gently as she ran a hand through his hair, trying to get him to calm down.

"Okay?" Lizzie checked with him. "Honestly, Clark, I'm going nowhere. You're going nowhere. Everything will be fine now. I know it."

"And when have you ever been wrong?" Clark wondered, remembering the time she told him that she refused to be beaten, especially by him. Lizzie smiled at that, moving closer to kiss him again. Somewhere in the distance a rip curling scream echoed from all around. Clark's ears pricked up as he pulled back from Lizzie and looked to the balcony door of his apartment.

"Go," Lizzie said. "The dishes will still be here when you come back."

Clark smirked, kissing her on the forehead before whispering; "I love you."

The words caused Lizzie to gasp, but Clark was out of the apartment before she could say anything. A smile overwhelmed her and she wondered if Clark had known what he had just told her. Keeping quiet, Lizzie tided the dishes herself, unable to stop the cheesy grin which sat on her face.

...

Clark returned to find Lizzie curled on his sofa, a blanket over her as she held the TV remote in her hand. She had the news channel on for a while, looking as Superman saved some people from a train crash.

"You know," Lizzie said, "it is only when your boyfriend is a superhero when you realise how much destruction there is in this city."

"Too much," Clark complained, flopping back by her side and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He still wore the suit on his body, not bothering to change in case something else happened that night. "It was a train owned by LexCorp too."

"What doesn't LexCorp own?" Lizzie wondered, leaning further back against Clark as she dangled her legs over the arm of the sofa. "Everywhere you go there is a sign with the company's name on it, and now I am to be the PA to the boss."

"I hope your salary is worthy," Clark joked with her.

She kept quiet as she closed her eyes and Clark stiffened, his ears picking up another strange noise. He moved quickly to the balcony window, looking down as a bin tumbled to the ground.

"What is it?" Lizzie wondered from him. "Is there something wrong?"

"I heard a noise," Clark said, his x-ray vision coming in handy as he looked into the darkness.

"It was probably cats," Lizzie shrugged, moving to stand up. She kept the blanket wrapped around her as she stood behind Clark, her arms snaking around his waist. She rested her cheek in between his shoulder blades as Clark took hold of her hands, not entirely convinced that it was cats. He kept quiet and turned around in her hold, closing the doors again.

"Probably," he agreed limply, tugging at the blanket to bring her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, wondering if she would ever tire of being so close to Clark Kent.

"Come on," Lizzie said, tugging at his hand. "America's Next Top Model is on repeat."

Clark rolled his eyes, but gave in. He always did when it came to Lizzie.

...

"Miss Lowe, I take it."

Elizabeth stood at the reception area on Monday morning, looking around for someone to tell her where she should be going. The bald man in front of her offered his hand and she took it quickly.

"Mr Luthor?" Elizabeth checked, holding his hand as he shook it, checking her firm grip.

"Yes," he spoke. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lowe. Please, do follow me and I shall show you to your desk. Madison will help you to settle in. She is leaving us for New Orleans next week to be with her husband."

"That's nice," Lizzie forced herself to be polite. "I have to say it is a pleasure to be working here."

He walked slowly by her side, looking down at her with a confident smile on his face. She seemed polite enough. He suspected he would have a lot of fun with this one, especially if she was as close to Superman as he thought.

"It's a pleasure to have you here," Lex replied. "All the job enlists is making sure my appointments are set up at convenient times. You may need to come with me to some of them to make sure I am correctly briefed. It is all very straight forward business, nothing too complicated. Tomorrow you can come with us to the acquisition meeting."

"Acquisition?" Lizzie arched a brow.

"I intend to buy the Daily Planet," Lex simply spoke.

Lizzie froze for a moment, wondering what Clark would think of that. Lex caught up on the vacant expression he was receiving from her.

"Is something the matter? You've turned quiet since that news."

"Oh, it is nothing," Lizzie said, shaking her head. "I just know someone who works there. I applied twice."

"And they never took a pretty thing like you on?" Lex wondered.

He smirked at her as she kept calm, shaking her head and adjusting the satchel on her shoulder.

"No," she said. "I don't know why."

"What is their loss is my gain," Lex informed her.

If only she knew how much of that was true.

...

A/N: And so it begins again! thank you all for reviewing and sticking with this! Your thoughts are always appreciated!


	22. Chapter 22

"How was your first day?" Clark asked from Lizzie as soon as she entered his apartment. He had been home long before her, preparing dinner before he heard the scream from outside. He had sighed and changed, knowing that he had a duty to do. When he returned he found her waiting on the steps of his apartment to be let in.

He continued to slice potatoes as she sat down at the dining table.

"Not too bad," Lizzie said slowly. "Lex seems a nice guy. He made sure I knew what I was doing all the time. His old assistant who I'm replacing didn't seem to like me too much. She didn't think I was right for the job."

"Well, she's leaving," Clark smiled, looking back up to her whilst he moved on to peeling carrots. "And you're new. You're bound to make mistakes, aren't you?"

"I guess," Lizzie shrugged. "Anyway, I do have something to tell you."

"Hm?"

"It's about the Planet," Lizzie slowly said. "Did you know that LexCorp are going to buy it."

Clark kept quiet for a few moments after hearing that, his mind contemplating the words which she had just spoken. He pushed a hand through his messy hair whilst Lizzie dropped her satchel to the floor.

"I guess you didn't know." She mumbled.

"No," Clark replied. "I had no idea. What does he want with it?"

"This is Lex Luthor, Clark," she reminded him. "Power hungry businessman?"

"I know that," Clark said. "He's already bought out most of the other papers. I didn't think he would get to the Planet already."

"Apparently so," Lizzie drawled. "Anyway, I doubt that means anything, right? He just said that he was buying it, not that he's going to dictate what happens to you. I suppose Perry White will still be in charge."

"But Lex Luthor is going to be the overall boss."

Lizzie kicked her heels from her feet and stood up, patting Clark on the shoulder as she passed him.

"Welcome to the club," she said and opened the fridge.

Clark kept quiet, shaking his head. Surely this takeover didn't mean anything. LexCorp owned most of Metropolis. Why not take what he could?

...

"Lizzie, can you come in here?"

Lizzie stood from her desk, finishing typing the speech with Lex was to give at a conference that evening. She tucked her chair under her desk and moved into his office. He had a top floor view looking over the skyline of Metropolis. Glass panes lined the room and a large desk dominated it. Lex was clicking on the mouse to his computer, busy making sure his companies was running smoothly.

"Yes?" Lizzie spoke softly to him.

"I need you to come with me to the meeting with Perry White this afternoon," he softly informed her. "You need to make notes on what it is that he wants, now that he answers to me. Of course, he won't get his way the entire time, but he may do for some of it."

"No problem," Lizzie said. "Oh, Metropolis College phoned. They wondered if you'd be able to speak to their business students on Friday night."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them that I would get back to them," Lizzie said. "It is a Friday night, I didn't know if you'd have plans."

"No," Lex shook his head. "Tell them that I'll do a half an hour speech."

"No problem," Lizzie made a mental note.

"Just find the speech I used at New York College...Madison should have saved it in the desktop."

"Okay," Lizzie said, turning on her heel to leave.

Lex watched her go, the smirk returning to his face as he did so. He doubted it would take him long to find Superman through her. But he enjoyed buying his time. He enjoyed speaking with his new PA. He'd slowly worm his way closer to her until she told him all that she knew.

He sat in his office for a few more moments before standing up, knowing that he had to start the journey to the Daily Planet. He grabbed his jacket and did up the button to the one piece before taking hold of his briefcase. Moving out of the office, he called for Lizzie to join him.

She did so with haste, taking hold of her blazer and shrugging it over her red blouse. She pulled at the grey skirt she wore and took her satchel over her shoulder. She held the electronic device which Lex had given her in her hand, finishing up the notes she had been making on the drive to the Daily Planet.

...

Clark sat at his desk, typing ferociously before he heard an annoyed voice. She sat down on the empty seat next to his, leaning forwards as she divulged in gossip.

"Have you heard the news?" Lois wondered.

"About LexCorp?" Clark checked.

Lois allowed her brow to furrow.

"I didn't know being psychic was one of your abilities," she told him and he chuckled at that, his head shaking back and forth as he did so.

"It isn't," he said. "I do happen to date Lex Luthor's PA."

Lois felt her mouth drop open as she heard him say that. She didn't think Elizabeth would have it in her to be a PA. From a waitress to a high flying company. Lois had to admit that she had done well.

"When did you find out?"

"Last night," Clark replied. "You?"

"Just now," Lois complained. "This isn't going to work. Perry doesn't like it one little bit. We were one of the independent newspapers. Now we're going to be answering to LexCorp every time they ask a question."

"It can't be that bad," Clark drawled, looking over to her as he finished the sentence he had been typing.

"Of course it will be," Lois said. "Lex Luthor is on his way in now. What's the betting that they argue within ten minutes?"

"I'll wager ten dollars," Clark grinned.

Lois smirked back at him, holding her hand out to shake his. "I will take that bet."

She continued to sit at the vacant desk next to his, logging into the computer to bring up the article she had been working on. Both of them only turned around when they saw Perry leave his office for the elevator.

"Mr Luthor, what a pleasure to meet you." Perry spoke stiffly.

Clark took a moment to look at Lex Luthor, observing his expensive suit and stern face. His eyes moved to Lizzie as she stood behind him, an iPad in one hand as she glanced around the place she had yearned to work in.

Lex looked back to his assistant as he shook Perry's hand.

"It is a pleasure to be here," Lex said. "This is my assistant, Miss Elizabeth Lowe."

Perry looked to the blonde, recalling her face from somewhere. Lex stepped back, his hand finding the small of Lizzie's back as Perry reached out to shake her hand. Clark kept his eyes focused on the entire thing, most of his intent going to the hand on Lizzie's back.

"Miss Lowe applied to work here before," Lex said, noting the look on Perry's face. "It seems you turned her down. I couldn't help but see a good investment from her."

Clark's teeth ground together as Perry sadly shrugged.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "If you'd like to come through to my office, we can begin negotiations."

"Pleasure," Lex said, his hand still on Lizzie's back as she caught Clark's eye. She offered him a stiff smile and Clark returned it. She had done nothing wrong. It was Lex who Clark seemed to have an issue with. That issue only grew when he saw the businessman bend down to whisper in Lizzie's ear, his nose brushing against her neck as she looked down and smirked at what he had said.

"Wow."

The door to the office slammed shut as Lois spoke, glancing back to Clark and wondering what he had been thinking.

"Pretty tense," she whistled lowly. "And judging by your face, you don't like anyone touching your possessions."

"Lizzie is hardly a possession," Clark replied, his voice taut and curt as he did so. He glanced back across to the office as Lois set the time on her phone to ten minutes.

"Maybe not," she agreed, laying the device back on the desk. "You sure looked at her like she was."

"It's something about him," Clark whispered to Lois so no one else could hear. "There's something I don't like about him."

"He had his hands all over your girlfriend?" Lois wondered. "I've seen it around lots of guys, Clark. They get jealous. I mean...Lex Luthor is a millionaire businessman..." she teased him.

Clark tried to see that she was only taunting him. He knew that he had nothing to worry about. At the end of the day it would be Lizzie who would return home to him. He was worrying over nothing. Regardless, he couldn't get the nagging and knotting feeling from his stomach which told him something wasn't quite right.

"Besides," Lois smiled at him. "Lizzie is too crazy over you for anything else. That much is obvious."

Clark gratefully smiled at Lois before turning to his computer. Lois kept her eye on the time, waiting for Perry to raise his voice from his office. He did so in time. Just not in the time that she wanted.

"Eleven minutes," Clark drawled, looking over to her as the shout came out. Lois cursed under her breath as Clark smirked. "I do believe you own me ten dollars, Ms Lane."

"I was one minute out," she complained. "That's hardly fair."

"That's life," Clark responded. "I'll give you an hour to pay up. I'm feeling generous."

"How decent of you," Lois said as another shout rumbled out of the office. She bit down on her lip as Clark finally turned around to look at the closed blinds. They left after half an hour, Perry slamming the door shut behind them as Lex smirked and moved through the desks, an aura of arrogance surrounding him. Lizzie followed, looking over to Clark again.

He arched a brow and she shook her head, mouthing 'don't ask' over to him. He nodded at her and smiled gently before Lex demanded her attention once more.

Elizabeth stood beside Lex in the elevator, tidying her notes up on the iPad as he smirked, clearly pleased with himself and the progress which he had made.

"That was fascinating," Lex whispered. "I think dinner is in order now. Where do you like to eat? Italian? Chinese?"

Lizzie kept quiet as the doors opened on the ground floor and she followed him, shaking her head back and forth. She could hardly go to dinner with her boss.

"I can't," Lizzie said. "I have work to do at the office...and..."

"I'm your boss," Lex smirked as his driver moved from the waiting area he had been sat in. "I say that you can have dinner off."

"But...well...I mean...I have a boyfriend," Lizzie blurted out to him, looking at him with wide eyes. "I don't know if it is appropriate."

Lex stood still as he listened to her worries, a smirk forming on his face as he did so. He took a moment to step closer to her again, noting the redness forming on her cheeks.

"I'm not asking you on a date, Lizzie," he assured her. "I'm asking you for dinner. I'm sure your boyfriend won't mind, will he?"

Lizzie took a moment to think, looking back over her shoulder to make sure that Clark wasn't stood there. She had a slight suspicion that he might mind, but he would have to understand. She needed this job, and Lex seemed pleasant.

"Besides, I'm not shocked a pretty thing like you got snapped up," Lex said, daring to move his hand to push her blonde hair back over her shoulder. "He must be a special guy."

"I'd like to think so," Lizzie admitted, her thought wandering back to Clark as she smiled in a docile fashion. Lex easily returned the grin.

"Exactly," he said. "It is just lunch. There is nothing to worry about, trust me."

Lizzie bit down on her lip for a moment and nodded in agreement. Lex clapped his hands once and turned on his heel, beginning to walk away again. Lizzie followed him, taking another moment to glance behind her, still wondering what Clark would really thing to this arrangement.


	23. Chapter 23

Lizzie felt as though she had no choice but to follow Lex Luthor dutifully into the Sushi restaurant which he had chosen for them to eat in. The waiter's seemed to know who he was as soon as he walked through the door. They did their best to accommodate his every need, making sure he had everything that he desired. People looked across to him as he took a seat in a secluded booth, watching the raw fish on the conveyer belt next to him.

Hesitantly, Lizzie took her seat opposite him, looking at the sushi which was passing. She dropped her bag in the empty space next to her and pulled her phone up. She contemplated texting Clark for a moment, telling him where she was. She never had the chance to, for Lex started to converse with her.

"So, do you like sushi?" he wondered.

Lizzie forced herself to smile. "I've never had sushi before." She admitted.

He arched a brow, his eyes widening as he tugged at the tie which sat against his white shirt. "Does your boyfriend not take you out?"

"Oh, he does," Lizzie said, shaking her head. The more she thought about it, the more she contemplated how untrue it was. Clark hadn't taken her out in ages. All they tended to do was sit in with a takeaway. "We've just never had sushi."

"Well," Lex spoke, turning his attention to the dishes which were passing. He picked one from the belt, placing it in front of her. "Try this one. Salmon Teriyaki."

Lizzie pulled the clear lid from the fish and looked down at it. She hesitantly picked up the chopsticks which sat on the end of the table. Lex took a moment to pick his food before expertly handling his chopsticks. Lizzie hesitantly looked down on them, not too sure what she should do. Lex smirked, noting her puzzled expression.

"Here," Lex said, moving both of his hands over to grasp one of her hands. He moved the chopstick between her middle finger and thumb. He placed the second one by her index finger. "Just hold them steady. Don't let them cross when you eat."

Lex moved forwards with her hand, helping her to pick at the fish. She did so and he retracted his fingers from her, moving to eat his own food, still watching her intently as she struggled.

The waiter quickly returned with wine, filling two glasses as Lex thanked him with haste.

"So," Lex spoke after finishing his fish. He picked his wine glass up, Lizzie copying his movements. "How long have you known your boyfriend?"

"I've known him since I was fifteen," Lizzie said with a nod. "My parents moved to Kansas when I was still in high school. I met him there."

"Have you been with him since then?"

"No," Lizzie shook her head. "He went travelling for a...well...a long time. I ended up married to my college boyfriend, but things didn't work out. We're divorced."

"And he won you back?" Lex checked.

"I suppose he never really lost me," Lizzie admitted, a nonchalant shrug passing through her as she wondered why Lex was so interested in Clark. Of course, she supposed he was pretty interesting, but Lex didn't know that.

"That is like something which you read in books," Lex told her. "Waiting for you childhood love...it's very rare."

"I suppose so," Lizzie admitted. "Anyway, Clark and I really aren't that interesting."

_On the contrary, _Lex silently contemplated, _I find him fascinating. _

"Clark?" Lex spoke. "That's his name."

"Yeah," Lizzie said.

"And what does he do?"

Biting down on her bottom lip, she took a moment to look at the fish which was passing them. Lex grabbed two more dishes, placing one in front of Lizzie as she took another sip of wine.

"He's a journalist with the Daily Planet." She admitted.

Lex cocked a brow. "So he was there today?"

"Yeah," Lizzie said. "He's only just managed to gain an internship there."

"And you never had anything?" Lex rhetorically replied. "Somehow that seems unfair, would you not agree? Your boyfriend managed to oust you."

"I don't mind," Lizzie lied. "Besides, I like the job I have now."

"And I like the job you have now," Lex smirked, drinking more of his wine as Lizzie laughed once. "Besides, if I was Clark, then I would be doing my best to avoid the wrath of his boss at this moment in time."

"Perry?"

"You saw how angry he was in his office," Lex said, no concern entering his tone as he did so. "I can only assume how he will take his anger out on everyone around him. He seems like that type of man."

"I'm sure they will have the intelligence to stay away from him," Lizzie commented. "Besides, the terms which were laid out weren't entirely unfair."

"Exactly," Lex said, waving a hand in the air. "He just doesn't like the fact that he's not going to be in charge of an independent newspaper now. He'll get over it, I am sure. If not...well...who knows what could happen?"

Lizzie left the question which he had asked open. She drank more from her wine glass before Lex filled it to the brim again. He looked across to her, wondering if it could be true. How could she be dating Superman? How could he be a journalist by day, before saving Metropolis at night? Lex didn't know. He was sure that he would find out. He would make it his own personal mission to do so.

He spent the rest of the afternoon flattering Lizzie, topping her wine glass up as she became easier to talk to. He watched her with intent before his phone began to bleep. He then stood and told her she could have the rest of the day off. The clock had just struck five when they left the sushi restaurant and Lex dropped her back off at Clark's apartment.

He looked up the building as Lizzie thanked him and left him be. He saw her stumble up to the stairs before chuckling, his head shaking back and forth. He couldn't help but think that this was going to be too easy. Far too easy.

...

Clark had managed to leave the office early. Apparently that was the safest thing to do with Perry White on the prowl. Lois had been his main victim, but she had shrugged it off, saying that she had expected Perry to target her first. Clark had smiled and ran off, rushing back to the safety of his apartment to wait for Lizzie's arrival. It was half past five when he heard a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw her stood in front of him, her cheeks red and a wide smile on her face.

"You seem happy," Clark said as she nodded at him.

"I am," she said. "I get to spend the evening with super duper Clark Kent."

Clark raised a brow as he closed the door behind her. He turned back around to watch her move to his sofa, slumping down onto it. She lay down, her skirt riding up her legs as she placed her arms behind her head. Clark sniffed once, the scent inhaling his nostrils.

"Have you been drinking?" Clark wondered.

"No," Lizzie lied.

"Are you lying to me?" Clark asked, noting how she closed her eyes and folded one leg over the other.

"Possibly," she admitted. "I don't know. I went to dinner with Lex and now I'm feeling tipsy. I didn't think that I had drunk that much."

Clark took a moment to listen to her, processing the words which she had just said. He folded his arms over his chest and moved closer to her, hovering beside the sofa.

"You went to dinner with your boss?" he checked. "Where did he take you?"

"A sushi restaurant. Why don't you take me out anywhere?" Lizzie quickly changed the conversation, her mind awhirl due to the alcohol. "We haven't been out since we moved here."

"We've both been busy working," Clark defended. "Besides, you went to dinner with your boss, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Lizzie nodded, peeling one eye open. "I did go to dinner with him. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not looking at you like anything," Clark defended himself, shaking his head back and forth as he listened to her. He took a moment to look out his balcony window, inhaling sharply as he did so. There was something about Lex Luthor which he didn't like. He wasn't scared to admit that.

"I couldn't really say no, Clark," Lizzie whispered as he walked to look out the window. "He's my boss. He insisted."

"You could have said no," Clark replied quickly. "You can always say no, Lizzie."

"I didn't mean to upset you," Lizzie hesitantly spoke, moving to sit up. She laced her hands together as Clark looked back at her. She was staring down at her lap, clearly not sure what she had done wrong. He inhaled sharply, his head shaking back and forth as he moved back to her. He took a moment to sit beside her.

"You haven't upset me," Clark promised her. "It's Luthor who I don't trust, Lizzie."

"Why?" she wondered. "Clark, you hardly know him."

"Neither do you," Clark retorted. "Lizzie...the way he watched you today...whispering in your ear...and now he has taken you out to dinner..."

"Clark," Lizzie complained, wrapping both of her arms around his one. She moved closer to him, pressing herself against his side as he moved his other hand to run up and down her arm. "Lex isn't a bad guy. Trust me on this one. He knows that I'm taken."

"Does he?"

"Yes. I told him about you."

"Does he care?" Clark wondered in a murmur. "It was the way he looked at you, Liz."

"And now you know how I feel," Lizzie replied. "Whenever you used to walk me to work...seeing women ogle you...Clark, it is what people do. They look at other people."

"This is different."

"It isn't," Lizzie protested. "Lex isn't interested in me, and even if he was...well...why would I be interested, Clark? I have you. Can you please stop this? Lex isn't the enemy here."

"Hmm," Clark grunted out. "Promise me that you will be careful. I mean it, Liz."

"I know you do," Lizzie assured him. "Honestly, Clark, it is lovely that you're so concerned, but you have no need to be."

Clark failed to agree with her, but he didn't want to argue with her. What could he do? She was stubborn on the matter, and so was he. He would keep his eye on her. That was all that he could do, he supposed.

"Fine," Clark weakly agreed. "But if anything happens-"

"-You'll be the first to know," Lizzie assured him, kissing him quickly. She pulled back to look at him, her hand resting on his shoulder. "I promise."

"Okay," Clark said. What more could he do? He bent down to kiss her again before he went to prepare some food. It did seem that Lizzie had different ideas. She wrapped her arms around Clark, pulling him closer to her as he groaned, unable to do anything else. He swiftly moved his hands to her legs, moving her body to straddle his as his hands roamed to her backside.

"Is this what wine does to you?" Clark wondered as he moved to kiss along her neck. She laughed once at him, moving as close to him as possible.

"Can you not kiss me without feeling my ass up?" Lizzie was the one to wonder.

"I do find it impossible," Clark admitted, moving back to capture her lips in a kiss.

He suddenly turned stiff as he heard a sound in the distance. Lizzie knew what was happening as soon as he became unresponsive. She pulled back and groaned, shaking her head back and forth. She tumbled off Clark to sit on the sofa. He looked over to her as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I'll be back soon," he promised her.

"Just try to stay safe," she urged him. "I'll make you something to eat."

"You don't need to," Clark assured her, rushing off into the bathroom. She stood up anyway, kicking her heels from her feet and moving into the kitchen, groaning at the frustration which she felt. She loved Clark, she knew she did. She just couldn't help but feel annoyed whenever he ran off from her.

She opened the fridge as he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her on the neck again. "I'll be back soon." He promised her.

"Be careful," she whispered, looking into the contents of his fridge. Before she could say anything else he had gone. She looked at the open balcony door and sighed, moving over to close it. She looked down to the alley beneath, her eyes noting a figure in the darkness. She squinted as she looked the door and the man looked back up at her, a smirk playing on his lips.

Lizzie locked the balcony, fear radiating through her as she closed the curtains, her mind wondering what had just happened.

...

"Come on...that's it," Lex whispered as he stood in the basement. He held the syringe in his gloved hands, his entire body covered in a white suit as he took the sample which he needed. He squirted it out of the syringe and into a test tube, fastening the lid before moving to the microscope.

He took another moment to glance back at the body which sat in the ice cold container. He wondered how long it would last for. Shaking his head, he moved back to look at the microscope, doing his best to identify the cells he saw.

"She saw me."

"Who?" Lex wondered as the voice snapped him from his work.

"His girlfriend," David snarled back. "Your PA. She was at his apartment. I was waiting to see him go again. He definitely lives there. There is no denying it now."

"Elizabeth will be our ticket to him," Lex promised David. "Well, my ticket, you have nothing to do with this. You just stand watch for me."

"And don't I know it," he mumbled back.

"Are you complaining?" Lex wondered; his brow rose before he looked back to the man who he hired to do his dirty jobs. "I already promised you a good amount for doing this job."

"I know," David agreed. "His girl has no idea who I am. I think we're safe."

"As it should be," Lex drawled. "She's a pretty thing, isn't she? Well...in a certain light...her nose is quite large."

"I still wouldn't mind," David shrugged. "That is if you don't want her."

"Oh, I do want her," Lex whispered, "just not in the way you do."

David took a moment to look at the body in the container, a child running down his spine as he did so. He still couldn't get used to seeing a corpse in the corner of the room. It was enough to give him the chills. He looked down on the body, wondering what it was that Lex really wanted with it.

"What do you intend to use the girl for?" David dared to ask, turning his attention back to Lex. He was too focused on the test tube to look away from his work.

A smirk formed on his plump lips. "You'll see soon enough."

David shook his head. "You want her to get to Superman, don't you?"

"Yes," Lex said, "but she can be used in another way. She can become my human guinea pig...that will hurt this Superman a little more..."

"I don't want to know," David held his hands up, turning on his heel to sort out his own business.

Lex looked up and watched him leave before turning back to work. Hopefully he wouldn't have to wait long to put his plan into action.

...

A/N: So, over 100 reviews! So happy! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review the story, and I do hope you will stick with me. Hopefully you'll let me know what you think!


	24. Chapter 24

Clark stood at the balcony doors, pulling at the handle as he wondered why they had been locked. He called Lizzie's name through the glass, urging her to open the glass pane for him. She did so after a moment, a glass of wine in one hand as she swirled the liquid. Clark walked into his living area as she slammed the door shut again, peering through the curtain and onto the alley way.

"What is it?" Clark wondered as Lizzie pulled the curtain firmly shut. She downed the alcohol and placed the glass on his sideboard.

"Someone was in that alley," she informed him, folding her arms over her chest. "I know what I saw, Clark. There was someone in that alley...watching...he looked at me..."

"Liz," Clark whispered to her, "calm down."

"How can I calm down?" Lizzie snapped back as Clark rested his hands on her shoulders, running them up and down her upper arms. Shaking her head, she ran the back of her hand over her forehead, nerves getting the better of her.

"Clark...what are we going to do?" Lizzie whispered. "Someone was watching, and I am pretty sure they weren't there to watch me."

"Okay," Clark soothed her, placing his hands on her neck, slowly turning her head upwards to look at him again. He bent down slightly, his cape flailing behind him as he did so. She took a moment to take a deep breath, Clark's eyes widening as he saw her.

"No one is going to hurt you, Liz," Clark promised her with a small whisper. "I'm here now."

"I was scared," Lizzie admitted with a whisper. "Clark, I was petrified...over nothing...over that, for goodness sake! I'm scared about someone looking at me!"

"It's understandable."

"It is overemotional." She retorted. "What was he going to do? Climb the walls like Spiderman?"

"Liz," Clark whispered her name again, bending to press his lips against her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his waist, her cheek turned against his chest as he knotted his fingers into her hair. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, his scent overwhelming her.

Clark turned his head to look back to the locked up balcony door. He used his x-ray vision, trying to determine if anyone was there at that moment in time. It seemed quiet, but Clark knew that Lizzie wasn't the type to have an overactive imagination. Something had seriously spooked her.

...

Lizzie didn't get a wink of sleep that night. She remained awake, staring into the darkness of Clark's bedroom. He slept soundly beside her, claiming that he was in need of resting his mind. She had smiled at him as he promised her that he wouldn't leave her. She couldn't help but think how he was not at liberty to make those kinds of promises. If he heard someone in pain then he would help. It was what Superman did.

He walked Lizzie to work the next morning, his bike beside him and his messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He kissed her quickly, promising her that he would see her that night at her apartment. She forced herself to smile back at him, nodding and doing her best not to yawn.

The day passed by slowly, Lizzie spending most of her time sat at her desk, yawning and typing. Lex needed notes for this speech during the evening, and he needed tickets printing for a trip to California over the weekend. Lizzie did her best to make sure everything was in order, printing the speech out and knocking on Lex's open office door.

He looked up from his work, a smile on his face as he noted his PA stood there. Lizzie walked into the room, the notes held in front of her as she looked over his shoulder to the Metropolis skyline.

"I made the notes for your speech, and your flight is booked for eight a.m. on Saturday morning. First class, of course," Lizzie told him.

Lex nodded, picking the notes up to read through them.

"Are you feeling okay today?" he wondered from her. "You seem distracted."

"Oh," Lizzie said, hoping that he hadn't noticed her far away mind. "It is nothing, Mr Luthor. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Lex contradicted, standing up and moving to the water dispenser in the corner of his room. "I've seen the bags under your eyes. No amount of foundation can conceal them. Sit down, have a drink of water."

"Honestly, Mr Luthor, there is nothing wrong."

"Lizzie," Lex said, a sigh escaping him as he looked at her with a smirk. "I'm the boss here. Sit down and have a drink."

Lizzie did as Lex had told her, taking a seat by his desk. He handed her the water and sat in the seat next door, leaning forwards and clasping his hands together. His tie fell in between his legs as he watched his PA lean back. Lizzie crossed her legs, pulling at her skirt before sipping the water.

"So what is wrong?" Lex asked her, "and don't say nothing. I'm not stupid, Elizabeth."

"It probably is nothing," Lizzie admitted. "It was just...well...I was at Clark's apartment, and I thought that someone was watching last night. I couldn't sleep because of it."

Lex tried to refrain from smirking, knowing full well who had been watching her. He watched her as she closed her eyes and drained the remainder of the water.

"Anyway, what does it matter? It was probably nothing."

"Probably," Lex agreed limply with her. "Anyway, I am sure your boyfriend will have told you that."

"Clark didn't really see anything," Lizzie bit her lip after speaking. "He was out at the time. He told me that you're bound to find all types of people lurking in the alleys."

"He's right," Lex said. "You don't want to know some of the sights I saw when I was a youngster."

Lizzie forced herself to return his smile as she placed the cup on his desk and stood up again, knowing full well that she had to work.

"I'm overreacting," Lizzie declared. "Anyway, I should get back to work."

"Yes," Lex agreed. "As should I. Listen...Elizabeth...if you ever need to talk, well, you know where I am."

Lizzie turned back to look at him, her hands by her sides as her fingers nervously twitched against her skirt. "Thank you, Mr Luthor."

Lex nodded to her as she left his office, wondering how much longer he would have to play his little game.

...

"No...he hasn't..."

Clark couldn't believe how fast time had passed. It was the night of the Daily Planet's Christmas office party. Clark didn't really want to go, but Lois had persuaded him to be sensible. He needed to socialise with those who he worked with. Apparently it was a fun night. Clark doubted that statement.

He'd invited Lizzie to be his date, urging her not to leave him alone. He had changed into his suit, doing his best to look smart. The office party was being held at some downtown restaurant where each employee had a chance to bring a guest. Clark's guest was currently stood in his room, drying herself after showering and trying to talk to her mother on the phone.

Clark said he'd watch a bit of the game on TV whilst she changed. As it so happened he was listening to her conversation.

"No, Clark doesn't need to, mom. We're both thirty three. We're adults. We can do what we want...besides...we've only been dating for a while."

Clark could make out Ellie Lowe's nagging tone from the phone, the conversation something which startled him as Lizzie moved back to his bathroom, placing toothpaste on a toothbrush.

"We haven't even thought about that," Lizzie said with haste down the phone. "Look, mom, I need to get ready...no...a party is not as important as grandchildren...but...no...maybe...okay...I'm going, mom. Okay, yes, I love you."

Clark felt a lump form in his throat as he heard her speak of children. Children? Clark had never considered the notion of having children. It wasn't something which he had _ever_ considered, truth be known. He stood up after a moment and moved into his room, looking to Lizzie in the bathroom. Her cell balanced on the shelf beneath his mirror as she spat into the sink, rinsing her mouth.

Clark took in the white dress which she wore, her hair curled on top of her head, some strands flowing freely down her back.

"I know you heard that."

Clark arched a brow, watching her as she turned to look back at him.

"My mom goes on about everything."

"I think she had a reasonable question," Clark replied, sitting down on the end of his bed so he could still watch her apply her make up in the mirror. "I mean, we are thirty three. Normal couples would consider settling down."

"We're hardly normal, Clark," Lizzie reminded him. "My mom knows all about you. She doesn't like the fact you fly around Metropolis at night and then returns home to sleep beside her daughter. She isn't your number one fan."

"I can hardly blame her," Clark muttered. "How long has she wanted you to have grandchildren?"

"Ever since I left college and married James," Lizzie snorted. "It's nothing new, Clark. Don't stress about it."

"How can I not stress about it?" Clark wondered. "Do you want children?"

Lizzie shifted about in the bathroom, twiddling her face wipe in her hand as she shrugged.

"I'd thought about it." Lizzie whispered her admittance. "I mean, if they had your looks then everything would be fine, wouldn't it?"

Clark smiled gently at that, a sad smile slowly taking place as he took a few moments to contemplate what Lizzie wanted from him.

"But, then I was thinking," Lizzie admitted. "Can you...well...everything about you is superhuman, isn't it?"

"I don't know," Clark complained. "I've thought about it. I mean...you have no idea how much I want to...well...but, I worry that I will hurt you. I couldn't live with myself if I did."

Lizzie turned to look at him, her brow arching as she took a few moments to think of what he was saying.

"I've been completely selfish-"

"-No," Lizzie interrupted. "Clark, you're hardly selfish. Look, we will just have to try one night when there's no one to save. I trust you not to hurt me. You've spent thirty three years controlling yourself. I'm sure you'll be able to manage one night."

"Yeah," Clark said, not too sure whether he would be able or not to. He didn't want to hurt Lizzie. "Anyway, you should get ready. We'll be late."

"Fashionably so," Lizzie smiled at him, moving back to the bedroom after finishing in the bathroom to find her earrings. Clark watched her with enticement. Everything she seemed to do captivated him. She placed the pearls in her ears and slipped her nude heels onto her feet, holding Clark's shoulder as she did so.

"Okay," Lizzie said, straightening out the white dress which she wore. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," Clark assured her as she straightened out his tie and grabbed her clutch. She grabbed his glasses from his bedside table, placing them on his face before resting her hands on his shoulders and sighing.

"I suppose we should go and face the Planet."

...

Clark held Lizzie on his arm as they mingled with his co-workers in the restaurant. Lights dangled down from the ceiling whilst Christmas trees sat in the corners. A man was playing the piano as people walked through the room, champagne flutes in their hands.

"I feel out of place," Lizzie complained to Clark as they stood by their table. Clark had one arm resting on a chair whilst the other held his glass of alcohol. Lizzie stood by the back of the chair, looking up to Clark as she folded her arm over her waist and drained the alcohol.

"You look stunning." Clark assured her.

"You're my boyfriend; you're supposed to say that."

"I'm also an honest man," Clark replied in a soothing voice. "I wouldn't lie to you, would I?"

"I suppose not," Lizzie responded, turning her head over her shoulder as she heard Lois call Clark's name. Clark rested his hand on her arm, glancing down at her with twinkling eyes.

"Be nice," he urged.

She rolled her orbs. "I'm always nice."

"Clark, you made it," Lois spoke as soon as she stood before them, a slinky green dress covering her lithe body. Lizzie pulled at her dress some more as Clark kissed Lois on the cheek.

"You remember Lizzie," Clark said.

Lois forced her politest smile to come to her as she held her hand out to Lizzie. She briefly shook hands with the petite girl and nodded.

"Of course," Lois said. "How are you doing, Elizabeth?"

"I'm fine. How are you?" Lizzie returned the courtesy.

"I'm good," Lois assured her. "Anyway, I just wanted to say hello. I should go and see Perry before he drinks too much champagne. We wouldn't his reputation ruined, would we?"

"I assume not," Clark replied as Lois scampered away and Lizzie folded her arms over her chest once more. Clark turned back to look at her. "You can be nice when you want to be."

"Shut up," Lizzie mumbled as Clark dropped his hand to her hip and kissed the top of her head.

"Lizzie!"

Clark startled for a moment as Lizzie looked around him, the sight of a familiar man coming into view. She glanced back up to Clark, noting how his jaw had tightened all of a sudden.

"Now you be nice," Lizzie lowly growled as the formidable sight of Lex Luthor appeared before them.

"Mr Luthor," Lizzie greeted him. "I didn't think I would see you here."

"Well, the Planet is my business," Lex replied, bending down to peck his secretary on the cheek. Clark drank more of his champagne, his eyes never leaving Luthor as the millionaire smiled at Lizzie. "I'm not one to pass up free parties."

"I cannot blame you," Lizzie smiled. "Oh, Clark, this is Lex Luthor. Mr Luthor, this is my boyfriend, Clark Kent."

"Pleasure to meet you, Clark," Lex said, holding his hand out to him.

Clark took hold of it, doing his best not to squeeze too hard as he shook his hand tightly.

"You too."

"Lizzie has told me a lot about you," Lex said. "You're a lucky man, Clark. Lizzie's as important to me as my right hand."

"Considering you write with your left hand, I doubt that is a compliment," Lizzie smirked as Lex dropped Clark's hand and rested his fingers on her upper arm, the motion not going unnoticed by Clark.

"But I need my right hand just as much," he told her. "Anyway, I should go and entertain guests. They need to see that LexCorp isn't some evil company ready to make them redundant."

"I doubt they think that."

"You'd be shocked," Clark scoffed to her.

Lex turned his smug face back to Clark, his brow arched as he did so. "Well, I really should appease them. Have a good night."

"And you, Mr Luthor," Lizzie said, watching as he walked away before she hit Clark with her clutch bag. "Don't be rude."

"I wasn't."

"That was rude," Lizzie hissed. "Clark, he's my boss. Can you stop with the evil looks and staring downs?"

Clark grunted nothing as Lizzie ran a hand through her free flowing curls. She watched as Clark heard something in his ear, the noise distinct before he turned to a TV above the bar to confirm what he thought. Lizzie followed his gaze, shaking her head with haste as she did so.

"No," she complained. "Don't go tonight. Don't leave me with these people. Please, Clark."

"I have to," Clark said.

"You don't have the suit," Lizzie protested.

He said nothing, shifting nervously on his foot as he did so. Lizzie arched a brow, standing on her toes further and pulling at Clark's collar. She could make out the blue outline underneath his white shirt. She let it go before standing back.

"Unbelievable," Lizzie complained to him. "You are unbelievable, do you know that?"

"But I am super duper Clark Kent," he teased, placing the flute down and resting his hands on her waist for a moment. She rolled her eyes as he forced his lips upon hers, knowing that she wouldn't protest for too long. He pulled back to look into her soft eyes.

"Go," she urged him. "I'll go to the bathroom and hide there. Don't do anything stupid."

"Love you," Clark pecked her on the cheek once more before he rushed away from her.

She smiled, watching him go before she tucked her clutch under her arm and decided to go to the bar. She ordered a mojito before sitting on a bar stool to watch the news.

"Where's Clark?"

Lizzie turned to see Lex taking a seat next to her, ordering a whiskey as Lizzie waited for her drink to be made. She picked around in her clutch for ten dollars.

"Don't worry about it," Lex assured her. "I've got these."

"Mr Luthor-"

"-I insist," Lex said. "Anyway, where is Clark?"

Lizzie pulled her mirror from the bag, checking that her hair was in the right place as Lex paid for the drinks.

"Some phone call from his mom," Lizzie said, faking annoyance. "He'll be back soon."

"If I was him then I wouldn't leave you alone," Lex replied. "You never know who is lurking."

Lizzie smirked at that, shaking her head as she sipped through the straw.

"Besides, I'm sure he could hurt anyone who dared to hurt you," Lex drawled, turning his attention back to the TV screen where Superman had made his appearance. Lex had to admit that David had done a good job in making sure the train's brakes failed.

Lizzie followed his gaze, shrugging as she did so.

"He's a big guy, I guess," she said, resting her elbows on the bar and sipping her drink.

"Superman, or Clark?" Lex wondered. "I get confused. I mean...they're both quite similar, aren't they?"

Lizzie felt her eyes widen as she turned to look at Lex, nonchalantly laughing after a moment.

"You aren't insinuating...seriously?"

"I'm not insinuating." Lex assured her. "I'm stating a fact, Lizzie. I know who he is."

"He's not," Lizzie assured Lex. "Trust me, Clark is not Superman."

"And I'm not blind," Lex replied. "I'm smarter than most, you know that. Those glasses do not help him that much. You have no need to lie to me, Lizzie."

Lizzie didn't know what to say in response to Lex. He moved his hand to rest on top of hers, his thumb slowly moving along her knuckles as she gulped loudly and looked back to the TV. Lex's gaze remained fixed on her, his orbs intent on cracking her.

"It must be hard," he whispered. "Your boyfriend is constantly out saving Metropolis...leaving you alone..."

Lizzie didn't know what to say. She knew that she couldn't confirm it, but she may as well save her breath by refusing to deny it.

"He's a brave man, but a foolish one," Lex promised her. "He should be here with you instead of out there. Do you not get fed up?"

"Mr Luthor," Lizzie whispered. "How did you find out?"

She turned back to look at him, slowly peeling his hand from hers.

"You have restless nights. You come into work drained of energy. You forget me, Lizzie. I know everything in this town."

Keeping quiet, Lizzie drank some more of her drink, closing her eyes and thinking of how Clark would react.

"You don't need to worry," Lex said to her. "I want nothing from him. I am willing not to tell anyone of him. It would not do any good, would it?"

"He doesn't want anyone to know."

"He wants to pretend to have a normal life, even though he never will be normal." Lex spoke. "His secret is safe with me, Lizzie. I'm not a monster."

"Thank you," Lizzie gratefully replied. "He will appreciate it, Mr Luthor."

Lex smirked, standing up and pecking her on the cheek once more.

"I'm one of the good ones, Liz," he whispered. "Now, I should go and join the party. I'm sure Clark will be back for you soon."

She said nothing more as Lex swept away, leaving her alone with her own thoughts as she watched him. Her mind was still in shock as worry came over her. Clark definitely would not like this one bit.

...

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed. I hope you'll continue to let me know what you think! Just to let me know people are still reading!


	25. Chapter 25

"How does he know?"

"He said that he recognised you without the glasses," Lizzie said with a shrug. She stood outside on the patio area with Clark. The darkness was illuminated by fairy lights which dangled from trellises. Clark had taken his jacket off and placed it around her shoulders, his hands in his pockets as she told him of the news.

"No one else has," Clark said back to her, shifting on his heels.

He took a moment to look back inside the restaurant, noting how Lex was talking to Lois. There was something which Clark didn't trust about him, and with good reason. He glanced back to Lizzie, watching her as she looked back to Lex, trying to weigh up how he had found out.

"He's the head of his own company, Clark," Lizzie whispered to him. "He's powerful. He owns this city."

"I know that," Clark replied. "I don't like him, Lizzie. There is something about him that I don't trust. The way he is when he's around you is suspicious enough...the constant touching...the leering..."

"You're over exaggerating," Lizzie hissed at him. "He hardly leers at me. He's been a good boss to me, and a friend. I've been working for him for months. I have no one else outside of work, do I?"

"Maybe you should find someone," he suggested. "I don't like this, Liz. I don't like it at all."

"Someone was bound to find out, Clark."

"But not him."

"I'm not arguing with you about this," Lizzie replied, her head shaking back and forth as she refused to divulge any more information with him. She wrapped her fingers around the lapels of his jacket, holding it tightly to her as she did so. She glanced back up to Clark.

"We're not arguing." Clark assured her. "I'm telling you that I don't like him knowing."

"And I am sorry that he does know," Lizzie replied. "But what can you do? You can't wipe his memory, can you? He says that he isn't going to tell anyone."

"And you trust him?"

Lizzie glanced back to look at Clark, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. It is a dangerous secret for him to keep. I know that...but...what other option is there but to trust him?"

Clark said nothing in response to her. He took a deep breath as Lizzie moved to rest her hands on his shoulders. He moved his own hands to her waist, holding her to him as she kissed him on the cheek, trying her best to soothe him. She knew it would take much more, but she needed to do something.

"I guess there is no other option," Clark admitted. "I still don't like it."

"You've said," Lizzie replied; her tone bored. "But you're going to have to live with it."

"Hm," Clark grunted.

He looked back into the restaurant as Lizzie nestled her head against Clark's shoulder. He caught the eye of Lex for a moment, noting the bald man as he raised his glass to Clark. Clark said nothing, choosing to increase his grip on Lizzie as he continued to have a bad feeling about everything.

...

"Do you think they've killed each other?" Lizzie wondered.

She stood besides Clark in the arrivals lounge of Metropolis airport. Clark chuckled as he heard her, constantly on the lookout for his mother. Lizzie had her hand in his as she stood on her toes, doing her best to get a good view at the incoming arrivals.

"I think I can see them," Clark said. "Are they on the same flight back home?"

"Mom said so," Lizzie nodded. "As if spending Christmas together wasn't bad enough."

Lizzie dropped Clark's hand as she saw her mother move towards them. She wore her red designer outfit, a bag dangled on her arm as she glanced around for the sight of her daughter. Clark noted his mother behind Ellie Lowe, pushing their cases on a trolley with an exasperated look on her face. She was glaring daggers into Ms Lowe's back before she spotted her son.

"Look at you," Ellie cooed as soon as her daughter was stood in front of her.

Lizzie had made sure she set her alarm half an hour earlier so that she could look presentable for her mother. She had chosen her grey dress and tied her hair behind her head. Her black pumps covered her feet and her jacket covered her arms. Ellie held her arms out, allowing Lizzie to step into them and kiss her mother on the cheek.

Clark took a moment to embrace his mother as she sighed and whispered in his ear;

"I love Lizzie like a daughter, but I wish she had some different mother."

Clark chuckled as Martha pecked him on the cheek.

"Oh, Clark," Ellie said as she stood back for a moment.

Martha waved her arms for Lizzie to come forwards and hug her. Lizzie smiled as Ms Kent held her tightly and Clark struggled under her mother's gaze.

"Ms Lowe," Clark greeted as Ellie dared to offer him an awkward hug and a one cheek kiss.

"So, Clark, my daughter tells me you haven't proposed to her yet." Ellie bluntly spoke.

Lizzie scoffed in the middle of the arrival lounge as Martha whispered to her;

"I bought you a bottle of wine for Christmas. I think we're going to have to crack it open before then."

"I could not agree more," Lizzie mumbled before taking her mother by the arm.

"Come along, mother. I'll take you back to my apartment."

"Oh, are Clark and Martha not coming with us?" Ellie wondered as Clark took over pushing the trolley for his mother.

"No, we'll see them for dinner tonight."

Lizzie looked back over her shoulder, mouthing an apology to Clark as she walked her mother out the airport.

Clark and Martha chuckled together, slowly walking behind. Martha wrapped her arm through her son's, taking a moment to look up at his well defined face.

"That woman has been driving me mad," Martha complained. "She keeps moaning about how she has no grandchildren."

"Lizzie said," Clark replied in a mutter.

Martha sighed before shaking her head and placing her hand in her jean pocket.

"What?" Clark wondered, knowing his mother's agitated sigh from anywhere.

"Well...you've been lusting after Lizzie for years, Clark," Martha informed her son. "I can't help but wonder if you two have even thought about grandchildren...or marriage..."

Clark hesitated for a moment, not too sure if he wanted to divulge in that information with his mother.

"I love Liz," Clark said. "I just...mom...being with her...intimately...I might hurt her. I don't want that."

"Is she not frustrated? A woman has needs," Martha said.

"Mom," Clark complained to the woman on his right. She shrugged and looked up to her son, squeezing his chin as she smiled teasingly.

"Do we need the birds and bees talk, Clark?" she wondered. He rolled his eyes and snatching his chin from her fingers. She laughed before becoming sensible. "You've been on the planet for thirty three years, Clark. I am sure you can control yourself with her. She means too much for you to do anything else to her."

"I know," Clark promised his mother. "That doesn't mean that I'm not scared for her."

"Well...I'm just saying, Clark...I wouldn't mind having a grandchild..."

"Yeah," Clark replied numbly. "I know."

Martha sensed his reluctance to talk about the topic. He said nothing for a few moments, doing his best not to become annoyed with the direction of the conversation.

"Anyway," Martha said, patting his arm, "we have the entire Christmas together...besides...we'll need to stick together if we want to survive the nag-machine."

...

"Lizzie was telling me how you normally go out every night," Ellie said as soon as she sat down in the booth. She took a seat besides her daughter in the round seat. Lizzie sat next to Clark, fiddling with her ponytail as he dared to wrap his arm around her waist.

Martha sat beside her son, holding her second glass of wine already.

"Will you be vanishing tonight on us?"

"Mom," Lizzie complained. "You know what Clark does."

Martha glanced back to Clark. He coughed and took a drink of water from the table. Lizzie rested her hand on his leg, trying her best not to let her mother bother him.

"I know," Ellie said, holding her glass with etiquette. "Come now, Lizzie, I'm your mother. I don't like the thought of your relationship being strained."

"It is not," Lizzie snapped back.

Clark said nothing, turning to look at his mother to refill her wine glass.

"You said so yourself, Liz," Ellie laughed once. "You said it was difficult to know he leaves you every night."

"Clark knows how I feel," Lizzie whispered, picking her wine glass up and looking into it. "Anyway, it isn't that bad, mom. I love Clark...stop stirring everything."

"Do you think it is that bad?" Clark wondered, his voice soft as he looked down to her.

She shook her head, her brow rising as she did so.

"Of course not," Lizzie soothingly whispered. "Mom just enjoys sticking her nose into our business."

"I am your mother," Ellie said. "Besides, Clark sneaking out every night won't give me grandchildren, will it?"

"Mom!" Lizzie finally snapped. "Please, leave it be."

Clark said nothing as he took a few moments to think of what he had just heard. He knew that things were sometimes difficult with their relationship. He knew that was down to him vanishing on her whenever they went out. He seemed to tighten his grip around her waist, almost as if he was afraid of losing her because of whom he was.

He lasted half an hour without disappearing. He left quickly as Ellie rolled her eyes and excused herself for the bathroom, leaving Lizzie with Martha.

Martha moved closer to the girl as they watched Clark leave.

"It must be hard." Martha commented, filling Lizzie's glass up with more wine. "Watching him go into danger every night...I can only imagine...well...I do. I sit up and watch the news every night. We know he's superhuman, but it doesn't get easier. But you're the one who lives with him now."

"I can't pretend that it isn't annoying," Lizzie whispered, looking to the table. "I do want him to myself for one night...but...it can't happen. There's always someone in this city who needs saving. There's always someone who he has to help. I know I sound selfish."

"No," Martha promised her. "You sound like a woman. I see the way Clark looks at you, Liz. He loves you. He truly does."

"And I love him," Lizzie agreed. "More than anything. I just feel as though our relationship is strained. It's difficult sometimes, but when we're together, I forget about everything."

"Oh, sweetie," Martha sighed, wrapping her arm around Lizzie's shoulders. "I've known since day one that you two belonged together. You both were blind enough not to see it."

Lizzie smirked, drinking more wine as Martha shrugged.

"He's scared of losing you. I can see that much," Martha assured her. "He tells me how he is scared of hurting you...well...intimately..."

Lizzie's cheeks turned flame red as she listened to Martha. "Oh...well...I mean..."

"That's a matter for you two to discuss. You're both adults."

"I guess," Lizzie said, drinking more wine and wondering where Clark had gotten to.

...

He stood in the Superman suit, looking at the abandoned factory. He had managed to get everyone out before the chemicals could cause a fire. He'd done his best to contain the flames, leaving the job to the firemen when they arrived. He stood outside the factory, hiding in the alley and glancing to the flames. The fire had started at one of Lex Luthor's factories. Every disaster seemed to have something to do with him.

"Clark."

Clark turned around at the sound of his name being called. His brow furrowed as he heard the man speak to him so casually. He looked on as Lex Luthor ambled towards him, his hands dipped in his pockets as he did so. Clark said nothing, wondering what he wanted with him.

"Looks like Superman saved the day again," Lex spoke. "It does seem as though people target my businesses."

"Perhaps they do," Clark replied bluntly. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted a word," Luthor shrugged, standing a few feet away from him. "I assume that Lizzie told you I knew."

"She did," Clark said. "She did say that you'd keep the secret."

"She was right," Lex said. "I want nothing from you, Clark. And if I did...well...I could take it..."

Clark's hands tensed as he took a step forwards, his chin jutted out as he glared at Lex.

"If you're talking about Lizzie-"

"-Elizabeth?" Lex wondered; his brow arched as he shook his head. "No, not Elizabeth, although she is a pretty little thing. It is a shame about her large nose."

Clark took a moment to inhale sharply.

"Then what are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Lex shrugged. "Honestly, Clark, you do have some trust issues. That's why I'm here. I want you to know that I don't intend to tell anyone about you. You can go around, parade to be a superhero, and take the glory."

Lex held his hand out for Clark. He regarded it with hesitance before he wrapped his fingers into Lex's, not too sure what the older man wanted from him.

"Just remember that this is my city, Clark," Lex smirked. "I'd hate for you to forget that. I own this city."

Lex dropped Clark's hand, stepping backwards and away from him.

"You'd best get back to your date with the parents and Liz," Lex called out as he turned around and moved back to his car. "You should keep an eye on her. You never know whose watching."

...

A/N: Thanks to all who stick with this and review. Thanks for reading, and let me know what y'all think!


	26. Chapter 26

Clark didn't return to the restaurant. He was too busy sorting out other bits of mess to have the chance to go back. Lizzie had spent her night gulping down wine and listening to her mother's persistent talk of marriage. She wanted to do nothing more than go home, without her mother. She paid the bill and stood up, slowly moving out the Italian restaurant. She caught the sight of Superman on the TV as she passed by. She felt her blood begin to boil slightly.

She'd never have Clark to herself. She had to share him with the rest of Metropolis.

Martha walked besides Lizzie, watching the woman with interest as Ellie continued to try and make conversation. Martha felt a vibration in her pocket before noticing that Clark was calling her.

"Who is it?" Lizzie wondered as they stopped walking to give Martha a chance to grab her phone.

"Clark," she said.

"Mom," Clark spoke when she picked up. "I need you to do me a favour."

"What favour is it?"

"I need you...well...can you stay at Lizzie's apartment tonight? I need to talk to Lizzie on my own."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow," Clark promised her. "Can you do that for me? Please?"

Martha huffed and looked to Ellie. She didn't know if she could stand another moment in that woman's company. She supposed she would have to try, even if it did drive her to the brink of madness.

"You owe me, Clark Kent," Ellie assured her son. "I'll send her to your apartment."

"Thanks, mom," Clark smiled and hung up.

He spent the next ten minutes pacing through his apartment, unsure of how to handle Lizzie when he told her what he'd heard from her boss. He didn't know what she would think. Little did Clark know that she was in a foul mood as soon as she entered his apartment.

She stepped inside, allowing Clark to shut the door before she hit him around the arm with her clutch bag. Her eyes glared at him as he stepped back and she felt tears well into her eyes. She was so frustrated about everything. She always was. She just didn't know how to tell Clark. She'd thought that he could manage dinner with their parents. She had thought that he could cope with that.

"What was that for?" Clark wondered; tugging at the checker shirt he had changed into.

"I had to spend three hours on my own!" Lizzie snapped at him. "I had to spend time with our mothers whilst you ran off and left me!"

"Lizzie," Clark complained, pushing a hand through his hair as she kicked her heels from her feet. She moved into his kitchen, helping herself to the bottle of wine which he kept in the fridge for when she came over. "You know that I have to help people."

"Don't I just," she scoffed back. "It only interrupts everything that we do together! You...God...I love you, Clark."

Clark took a moment to watch her down the glass she had poured. He worried for her liver for the brief moment she was quiet.

"I love you, but I am so tired." She exasperated. "I am so tired of never being able to do things with you...I mean...whenever we go out you end up leaving me. You are never here, Clark."

"What would you have me do?" Clark snapped back. "So your mother was right? You are fed up?"

"How can I not be?" Lizzie shrugged. "I get it. I really do understand, Clark. I sound selfish at this moment in time. I mean, I have a boyfriend who loves me and who would do anything for me...I just...I have to share him with everyone else in this city."

"I'm doing my best," Clark assured her. "I'm doing all that I can to make this work, Lizzie."

"I know," Lizzie whispered, pushing a hand through her hair. She placed the wine away once she had refilled her glass to the brim. Moving slowly, she sat down on his sofa, slumping into the cushions and closing her eyes.

Clark remained stood where he was, a clear look of exasperation on his face. Lizzie closed her eyes and brought her knees up to her chin. He dared to sit beside her, looking at her with wide eyes, waiting for her to make the first move.

"And then I do wonder," Lizzie whispered. "We're both not getting any younger, Clark. I mean...we're on the right end of thirty, sure...but...we don't live together. We don't sleep together."

"Liz," Clark complained, flinging a hand over the back of the sofa. She sipped the alcohol as he ran his free hand over his forehead, doing his best to find a way to appease the situation. "I don't know what will happen, okay? I don't know if we can...if it is safe..."

"You won't even try!" Lizzie snapped back. "Clark, you've been on this planet for three decades. You've known me for years...I don't...I trust you. I love you."

"Is this what it is all about?" Clark asked her. "You're angry because we haven't been intimate together?"

"No," Lizzie said with a roll of her eyes. "It would be nice though, wouldn't it?"

"I can only imagine," Clark whispered. "But, if...if we were to have children one day...then I want us to be married, Lizzie."

She smiled at hearing that, nodding along with his request. She could understand that. She _wanted _that.

"I know," Lizzie whispered. "I think that's the right thing for us to do."

Clark dared to move closer to her, his arm sliding down the sofa until it was around her shoulders. Lizzie took a deep breath, knowing full well that her anger with Clark Kent would subside quicker than it had built up.

"I'm sorry," Clark whispered. "I don't want to ignore you, Lizzie...and...if..."

"No," Lizzie shook her head. "Don't say anything about it. I'm not going to leave you, and you're not going to leave me. I just get frustrated. No one said a relationship with Superman would be easy, did they?"

"They didn't," Clark agreed. "Look, there is something that I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" she wondered, leaning forwards to place her glass down on the coffee table. She moved back, resting her legs over Clark's lap as he kept his arm around her shoulders.

"I went to one of Lex Luthor's chemical warehouses," Clark told her. "I think it is part of his science division."

"No doubt."

"He was there, Lizzie. He had been waiting for me." Clark admitted to her, running his hand up and down her back as he spoke. "He told me I needed to remember that he is the man who runs this city. There was something about him, Lizzie."

"Did he threaten to oust you?" Lizzie wondered. "This doesn't sound like Lex."

"He said that he doesn't intend to tell anyone about me. You don't know Lex well enough to know what he is like, Liz," Clark replied. "Don't pretend you do."

"I believe what you said," Lizzie promised him. "I just don't believe that he intends you any harm."

"Maybe not," Clark said. "I just don't trust him around you, Lizzie. Look...I know that telling you to quit is out of the question, but promise me that you'll be extra careful around him. Something isn't quite right."

"You've been saying that for months," Lizzie complained. "But...okay...wow...Lex...I've never seen him hurt a fly."

"We all have hidden secrets," Clark shrugged. "And I'll be keeping an eye on him from now on."

"There's no use in trying to change your mind, is there?" Lizzie wondered the rhetorical question. Clark smiled; pushed her hair from her face and kissed her briefly.

"No chance at all," he replied. "Anyway, how was my mom with your mom?"

"She's not pleased that she has to spend the rest of the night with her," admitted Lizzie. "What more can we do? I'm not running back home now."

"Not when I have you to myself," replied Clark, his other arm snaking around her waist to draw her closer to him. "Besides, you need a break from your mother."

"She'd been in Metropolis for just twelve hours."

"That's eleven hours too long," joked Clark. Lizzie slapped him around the arm as he bent down to kiss her again, unable to stop herself from smiling against his lips. He pulled back and she leant against the arm of the sofa.

"Don't be mean about my mother," Lizzie scolded him.

"I can't help it," Clark mumbled. "You know what she's like."

"I know," agreed Lizzie numbly. "Anyway...does that mean we have the place to ourselves?"

Clark knew what she was suggesting as soon as she had said it. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as she moved closer to him and ran her hands down his neck and onto his shoulders.

"Please," Lizzie begged him. "Clark, can't we try?"

Clark looked into her eyes, instantly knowing that she wasn't going to give up on the matter. He had promised her, and Clark Kent never broke his promises.

...

The sun streamed into Clark's room the following morning. He had lain awake all night, watching as Lizzie slept soundly besides him, his duvet the only thing covering her and her modesty. She awoke a few moments after he had moved into the bathroom, sitting up and pulling the duvet with her. Taking a deep breath she slowly slid down the bed, resting cross legged at the end of it as Clark brushed his teeth.

"Morning," Lizzie called out to him.

He looked back to her after rinsing his mouth, a small smirk toying on his plump lips. She ran a hand down her messed up hair as Clark leant against the frame of the door.

"How did you sleep?"

"Quite well," Lizzie admitted to him.

She tugged the sheet further up to her chin as she felt a blush come over her. Clark ran a towel over his face once he had washed it. Running a hand down his chin he felt the stubble there. He failed to care as he moved over to Lizzie and sat beside her on the bed. He bent down and kissed her again.

"I told you that there would be nothing to worry about," Lizzie teased him.

Rolling his eyes he smirked. "I still didn't want to hurt you. I'm just glad I didn't."

"I've told you before; it is ten in the morning. They will be awake."

Lizzie's eyes widened as she heard the unmistakable sound of her mother enter the apartment. Clark looked at her too, shaking his head as he heard the footsteps approach the open bedroom door.

"And I told you, Clark didn't give me a key to use when I wanted." Martha snapped back as Ellie looked back at her with distaste.

Lizzie tugged at the bed sheet as Clark shook his head, tightening the robe he wore around his body.

"Oh," Ellie gulped as she stood in the doorway, looking at the pair of them. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Not that you would care if you did, mother," Lizzie spoke, daring to stand up. She dragged the sheet with her as Clark chuckled.

"Have you two been busy making my grandchild all night?" Ellie taunted. "I do hope you marry her before she becomes too fat to fit into her wedding dress, Clark."

"Ellie," Martha was the one to complain. "Can you leave the two of them alone? They clearly need time to get dressed."

"Oh, I can see that." Ellie nodded as Lizzie grabbed hold of the door. "Is this why I had to spend my night listening to Martha snore?"

"Goodbye, mother," Lizzie said before shutting the door in her face.

She turned back around to Clark as Martha spoke about making a cup of coffee. He shook his head, running his hand down his neck as Lizzie sat down again.

"I did tell you that your mother was annoying."

"Please," Lizzie scoffed, "I've known that all along."

...

Lex knew his time had finally come. He'd spent the first few months looking through the blood cells of the body he had confiscated. He knew that he had managed to find out why the alien was so powerful. He had made a serum in order to make someone else like him. He just knew that he needed a sample to try it on. He had the serum to stop the change in the body. Lex knew that he had to act quickly. He wasn't known for his patience, and so that was why he called his PA on Christmas Eve. He intended to use her to get to Clark Kent.

There was room for only one of them in his city.

...

A/N: So thank you to everyone for reviewing so far and to everyone who has stuck with the story! It means a lot to me, and I hope you'll keep on reading!


	27. Chapter 27

The day Lizzie saw her mother off to the airport was one of relief for her. Nothing which she did seemed to be up to her mother's standards. She'd held her tongue and said nothing further, grateful that she had spent her first Christmas with Clark. The joy of it ended was when she was called back into work before New Year's Eve. She kept groaning as she walked down the sidewalk with Clark by her side.

"I can tell you're annoyed."

"I'm not."

"Worried, then."

"That's better," muttered Clark. "And can you try to understand where I'm coming from? Your boss isn't right, Liz. You know that as much as I do."

"I know that something is odd," Lizzie agreed. "I promised to be careful, didn't I? Lex has never given me any reason to doubt him...until you told me about that night..."

"I know," Clark whispered, keeping hold of her hand as they stood outside LexCorp. Lizzie looked up to the building and then pecked Clark on the cheek.

"I'll see you tonight," she assured him. "Go and be your usual danger loving self at the Planet. Besides, the office should be busy, and Miranda should be there to yell at me."

A trace of a smile crossed Clark's features as he nodded briefly at her, kissing her quickly before he climbed onto the bike he had been pushing. Clark knew that he wouldn't work as well as he normally did. He was too preoccupied on what Luthor had said to him that day.

How could he not mean anything by it?

Lizzie stood in the elevator to the top floor, counting along the floors she went up as she tapped her foot on the floor. The doors dinged open to Lex Luthor's private office space and she saw him in the distance. She shrugged out her coat as she moved along, holding it over her arm as she went. She saw that the office was completely empty, her mind beginning to wander off as she looked for any trace of life.

She knocked on the open door, declaring herself. Lex looked up from his computer and forced himself to smile at the sight of his PA. His sweet, naive PA.

"Lizzie," Lex smiled, standing up and making his way over to her. "How are you today?"

"I'm good, Mr Luthor," she smiled. "How are you?"

Lex could see the way her eyes flicked from side to side. It was almost as if she was trying to avoid eye contact with him.

_And for good reason, _Lex thought.

Clark must have told her what Lex had said to him that night. He knew that he would. Clark was Superman, and Superman didn't hide things from his doting girlfriend. Lex slowly moved to the mini fridge in the corner of his office, pulling out two water bottles.

"I'm well," Lex nodded. "How was your holiday, Liz?"

"Oh, you know," she laughed freely, "family and all that."

"They can be more hassle than their worth," Lex agreed bluntly, handing her a specific water bottle. He opened the lid off of his and drank from it. She did the same, taking quick gulps before looking at Lex.

"Anyway," Lizzie said, a moment of light headedness coming over her as she did so. "I should get to work. I assume there have been a number of emails over the holiday break."

"I assume so," Lex said, leaning against his desk.

He folded his arms over his chest as he watched her move away from him. She swayed from side to side in her patent heels before a hand moved to her forehead. Lex did nothing, choosing to stay where he was as he saw her finally collapse to the ground.

Sighing with relief, he stood fully up and moved to crouch over her, pushing her hair from her face as he did so.

"You should really listen to Clark more."

...

Clark didn't make it to the Planet. He knew that it was wrong of him not to go to work. He got to the foyer before he realised that his attention should be with Lizzie, and not with work. He rushed back out and grabbed his bike, climbing onto it and cycling back to LexCorp. He rode the elevator to the top floor and looked around the office space.

His mind clouded for a moment as he saw a satchel on the floor, completely disregarded. Lizzie's coat sat next to it, both of them in the entranceway to the main office of Lex Luthor. But Lizzie was nowhere to be seen. Clark knew that something was wrong as soon as he saw the sight.

The office was empty and so Clark took his chance to look around, trying to determine where she might be.

...

"That didn't take him long."

Lex looked at the TV's which showed the CCTV footage of his office. He currently stood in the basement of LexCorp, waiting for the girl to wake up so he could begin his experiment on her. He did consider it a shame, if he had to be honest. She was a nice girl. He could easily see her being another one of his wife's. She would have been good to have in his collection.

But she was in love with Superman. And Superman had grown too big for his boots. Lex didn't appreciate that one little bit. He was the one in charge. Superman needed to see that, and if he didn't then Lex would rival him.

"Is the basement secure?" Lex wondered from David.

"As secure as it can be." David nodded back to Lex.

"Good," Lex nodded. "Make sure that he doesn't get in here."

"And what about her?" David wondered, his chin jutting out to point at the girl chained to the metal table.

"She'll wake soon," Lex shrugged. "Go. Leave us be."

David took his leave and Lex waited for Lizzie to wake up. He saw the two syringes which sat on the metal trolley. One would change her, and the other would change her back. Lex was fairly certain that they would work. But he needed to be sure. Everyone required a human guinea pig, and Lizzie was his.

"I see you're awake," Lex called out to her.

Lizzie's head turned on the table, her eyes fluttering open as she whispered;

"Clark...Clark..."

"Your beloved hero isn't here," Lex assured her. "It's just you and me, sweetie."

"No," Lizzie muttered, her head still aching as she saw Lex come and stand close to her. "What is happening?"

She fought against the restraints which kept her ankles and wrists chained to the table. Her body felt panic radiate through it as she watched Lex bend by the table, folding his arms on the side of it. His gaze was intent on her as she did her best not to openly sob in front of him. She didn't need to look weak. She couldn't afford to do that.

"I am sorry that it has come to this, Liz," Lex said, his voice sounding slightly sympathetic to her. "I really am. I doubt my condolences will appease you though."

"Really?" Lizzie hissed at him. "What makes you think that?"

Lex chuckled as he heard her, moving his fingers down her cheek as she squirmed away from his long limbs.

"You see, there has been an issue in Metropolis for a while," Lex told her, standing tall and moving around the basement.

Lizzie took a moment to glance around it, not knowing where she was. She watched as he moved to a metal drawer. He pulled at it, opening it to reveal a cloud of smoke appearing from the box. If anything the basement looked like a science lab.

"It all started with this man," he told her, pointing down at the body in the drawer. Lizzie failed to see him, but she kept watching Lex. "General Zod, I believe. I also think that you two are acquainted, are you not?"

"Zod...he died..." Lizzie said. "Why do you have his body?"

"Consider it an experiment," Lex said, looking at the cold corpse before putting it back away. "I was intrigued as to what had fallen from the sky. How had this man managed to be so powerful? I didn't know, but I wanted to find out. I watched Superman for a while, regarding his movements with caution...until I found out that he was dating you, and you had applied for a job here. It all seemed too perfect to me."

"Anyway," he continued after walking back to her, "Superman became too powerful for this city. It's all they can talk about, and it shouldn't be. There is only room for one of us in this city, and that is for me."

"What do you intend to do?" Lizzie wondered, still trying to slip her wrists through the restraints. "Clark is superhuman...he will beat you..."

"I know," Lex nodded in agreement. "He can easily beat me. That is why I have the body to examine. I have the body to look at the blood cells...I can be like Zod. I can be like Superman."

Lizzie struggled to comprehend what she was hearing from him. It disgusted her more than she cared to admit. She said nothing to Lex, her mouth drying out and words failing her. She shook her head.

"You took his body to be like him," Lizzie whispered. "That isn't right...Clark has done nothing wrong...he helps people..."

"He's not needed," Lex snarled. "You'll see that soon enough. He will see that."

"No," Lizzie defended Clark. "How could you do this? I...I ignored Clark...everything he said..."

"He's had doubts for a while?"

"Longer than you know," Lizzie snapped. "Just let me go. Clark doesn't want this. He doesn't want to be someone important or famous. I promise."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Lex chuckled, "but putting on a pair of glasses and slouching does not change who he is. Besides, where is he now? Your darling Clark Kent?"

"He'll be here before you know it," Lizzie assured Lex.

"I don't think so," Lex said, picking up a needle and holding it to the light. He placed it back down before reaching for Lizzie's wrist. He pulled the shirt she wore up her arm, revealing her pale skin. She looked at him with worry; still fighting against what he intended to do.

"What are you doing?" Lizzie snapped.

"You didn't just think that I'd inject myself, did you?" Lex wondered. "I need someone to show me what happens. I'm not that stupid."

"No," Lizzie cried out. "No...don't...don't do that to me..."

"Sh," Lex urged her. "I'm sure you'll be safe."

"No," Lizzie sobbed, her body shaking as she realised there was no escape. She tried the only thing she had left. "Clark! Clark, help me! Please!"

"Shut up!" Lex snapped, knowing full well that Superman's hearing was beyond advanced. He had hoped that the basement would be deep enough for her not to be heard.

"Clark!"

"I said, shut up!" Lex's hand rose up and hit her across the face, silencing her as he acted quickly then. He grabbed a fresh alcohol wipe and rubbed it over her arm. He tossed the wipe aside after a moment and grabbed the syringe to change her before placing it in her arm. He pushed down, allowing the liquid to enter her body. He watched as her body convulsed, the reaction completely different to what he had thought would happen to her.

He saw as she shook and wondered if he had done anything wrong. And then she stopped her movements. Her eyes opened wide and she looked to Lex. Her mind was in panic as her senses seemed to heighten. She pulled herself free of the restraints with ease as Lex stepped back, a wide grin on his face. She doubled over in pain as she heard noise come from all around her.

She moved her hands to cover her ears before her vision changed everything which she saw.

"Your body is not adjusted." Lex commented. "I suppose it takes time."

He turned around as he heard the slamming of the door from behind him. He groaned for a moment at the sight he saw. David was held in the caped man's hold. Clark tossed him aside after a moment and then saw Lizzie curled in a ball on the floor.

"What have you done to her?" Clark roared as he advanced towards Lizzie and Lex took the chance to move over to the locked drawer. He typed the code in to reveal another syringe. One shot and he could be powerful too.

Clark remained hovering over Lizzie as she sobbed, unable to understand what was happening.

"Liz," Clark whispered, "come to me...listen to my voice..."

"She's changed into one of you. Kryptonian blood is quite something, isn't it?" Lex said and he drove his own needle into his skin, unable to have time to clean his arm.

"What?" Clark muttered, turning to look at Lex as he pulled the needle from his arm.

Clark gathered Lizzie into his arms as he saw Lex's grin widen. His body convulsed like Lizzie's for a few moments, accepting the blood cells before he pushed his fist outwards, destroying the wall next to him. Clark shook his head, unable to believe what he was seeing.

He suddenly jumped upwards, flying through the floors with Lizzie still in his hold as he went. He needed to get her away from Lex as fast as possible. Only then would he go back and destroy him whilst he was weak.

Clark set Lizzie down on top of another building, watching as her eyes found his. His hands moved to her cheeks, forcing her gaze on him and not anything else. She could hear the honking of horns, the conversing of businessmen and the general patter of feet.

"Clark," she cried. "He injected me...I can't...I feel..."

"I know," Clark said with a nod. "Your body is reacting harshly, Lizzie. What he did was unforgivable...but listen to me...you need to stay here for me...don't go anywhere..."

"It hurts," Lizzie whispered out to him. "Clark, it hurts."

"Lizzie," Clark whispered, kissing her on the forehead.

Her body hadn't reacted well at all. Clark could only hope that there was a cure for her. Her body was adjusted for Earth, not fro Krypton.

He turned around as he looked back to LexCorp. A sight around the building had already formed as people saw the hole Superman had caused. Only this time another man flew through the hole.

"Clark..." Lizzie said, unable to take her eyes from him. "Don't go."

"I have to," Clark said to her. "Just stay here, Lizzie. Promise me."

"No," she shook her head as Clark kissed her swiftly, knowing full well that he had to defeat Lex before anything further could happen.

...

A/N: So thanks to anyone who is still reading and I do hope you will review for me!


	28. Chapter 28

Lizzie had no idea what had happened to her. She felt as though she had been hit by a bus. She felt as though she had been given a new life. She didn't truly know how she felt. Her eyes burned and her head pounded, but she knew that she couldn't sit on top of a building and cry. She had to do something to help Clark. She only hoped she hadn't left it too late.

She pushed herself to stand up and glance over the side, all sorts of noises invading her senses as she looked for Clark. How did he manage to control his senses so easily? She had no idea, but she had to try and be quick about it.

Clark had left her on the rooftop, knowing that she couldn't be involved in the fight against Lex. She wasn't strong enough yet, and Clark refused to see her get hurt. He hovered in the air, high above the people on the ground who watched him. Lex Luthor stood in the middle of them, a large circle gathering around him as he bent down to the ground in an attempt to learn how to hover like Clark.

He pushed himself from the ground, moving further into the sky than Clark had anticipated. He watched him go up before falling back down, doing his best to keep level and controlled. Clark knew that it wasn't easy. His first time flying had sent him as high as a passing plane.

"You can't win, Lex," Clark assured the man. "There is nothing that you can do to control what you are feeling."

"Do you think so?" Lex taunted him. "I'm not your precious Lizzie. I have more stamina than she does. I can win, and I will win. I promise you that."

"You've caused a scene," Clark warned him, his cape billowing behind him. He took a moment to look past Lex's shoulder to the building where he had deposited Lizzie. He saw no sign of her in the distance and his brow furrowed.

"And what does that matter?" Lex shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you think they will leave you alone?" Clark asked him. "Do you think they leave me alone? People will watch you. They will talk about you."

"Do you keep forgetting the one thing I told you?" Lex asked from Clark. "I am the one who is in charge here, Kent. I am the one who owns Metropolis."

"No," Clark shook his head. "Not for much longer. How many injections do you have?"

"You don't think I am foolish enough to have the injection in mass, do you?" Lex laughed once, almost falling as he did so. "No. I have one injection left...one to destroy the Kryptonian blood cells. Do you know who I intend to use that on?" he asked from Clark.

Clark's brow arched as he balled his hands by his sides, ready to attack Lex if it came to that.

"Me." Clark said. "And what about Lizzie? She's been injected with it too."

"I'll make another one for your beloved." Lex promised. "I doubt she will be a handful if she's in such a state. Besides, what is she without you? She's nothing. You've always been her knight...well...in a red cape."

"I won't let you do this," Clark promised Lex. "You cannot make everyone in this city fear you. That is not what I do...it is not what anyone does. It is dangerous."

"It is the only way to get rid of you," Lex scornfully snarled. "So be it."

Lex moved with haste, hitting Clark with his fist. The crowds from below bellowed loudly, wondering what was happening. Clark dodged the next hit, catching Lex's wrist in his hand and pushing it away. Clark hated to admit that he was strong. He was stronger than he had initially thought.

"Does it hurt you, Kent?" Lex snapped. "Does it pain you to know that you're not as powerful as you think?"

"No," Clark assured him. "But that will hurt you."

Clark moved with haste, dodging another hit which Lex aimed at him. He ducked down and began to fly through the streets, knowing that he had to get back to the basement of LexCorp. He needed the syringe to stop Lex. But Lex had another idea. He moved faster and grabbed Clark around the waist, flinging him through the window of a skyscraper. Clark struggled in his grasp, listening as people shrieked as they destroyed everything in their path.

They came out the other end of the building, glass shattering around them as they went. Clark kicked Lex in the jaw, fighting his way out of his hold. Clark hovered above Lex as the elder man watched him with interest.

"You can't win," Lex promised Clark. "There is no way to win this."

"There's always a way," Clark said and began to tussle with Lex again.

It was only then when Clark noticed a woman from the skyscraper they had destroyed. She dangled from the windowsill, her fingers the only thing keeping her from falling down. She screamed loudly as Lex followed the sight he was seeing. A smirk played on his face as Clark's cheeks turned red and he did his upmost to break away from Lex's strength.

"You can't save her," Lex said. "It's me or her, Kent. If you go after her then I'll go and find your dear Liz."

"No," Clark roared loudly, his anger consuming him before he looked over Lex's shoulder and into the distance. The sight which greeted him was one which Clark never thought he would see. He could make out the outline moving through the sky before she grew larger. She swept underneath Lex and Clark, noticing the woman on the brink of death.

"Impossible," Lex hissed. "Her dose was weaker than mine...she was pitiful..."

"She's stronger than you give her credit for." Clark said, taking his opportune moment to strike. Lex's grip faltered as he wondered if he really had just seen Lizzie. Clark pushed him further through the air whilst Lizzie pulled the woman to safety in the building.

Her gaze caught Clark's for a moment as he looked at her with worry. He moved down to her as Lex watched the two of them, his head repeatedly shaking back and forth as he did so.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Lex snapped at her as Clark kept her by his side. She said nothing for a moment, a nonchalant shrug coming from her as she did so.

"Sorry to rain on the parade," Lizzie called back. "I just didn't want to sit and watch you hurt anyone."

Clark looked at her for a moment, a sense of pride and sorrow filling him. He didn't want her to be like him. He didn't want her to be cast out like he was. But he saw her flying there...looking so strong...he didn't know what to think.

"So you think that it will be two against one?" Lex wondered from her. "Do you honestly think that is what will happen here?"

"I don't see why not," Lizzie said, looking out of the corner of her eye to Clark. He nodded in agreement with her.

"You can't win, Lex," he told the man. "What you're doing isn't right. You know that as well as we do. I never wanted to be this...this icon...taking away your power...I just wanted to help."

"Don't lie," Lex snapped.

"He's not," Lizzie replied. "I told you that."

"Of course you would defend him." Lex replied with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm not." Lizzie assured Lex. "Just stop this now. You don't need to be this way...you have everything already, don't you?"

"I know," Lex said, "but sometimes everything is not enough."

"Prove it," Lizzie demanded. "Take the syringe in the basement and stop this."

"I have plans for that, and I doubt you will be able to stop me."

Lex began to move away as Lizzie followed him, Clark close on her tail.

"We need to stop him," Clark implored her. "He's only got one syringe."

"I know," Lizzie said, turning to look at him as they rounded the corner. She said nothing for a second as Clark looked at her, wondering what was going through her mind. She took a second to give him a brief smile before he reached out and took her hand as she began to drop height. His hand held hers tightly as she moved by his side.

"He will make another solution when we change him back," Clark promised her. "You don't need to stay like this."

"I think the main issue is stopping him, Clark," Lizzie promised, "and avoiding having my face plastered over news channels. I don't want my mother to die from a heart attack at the sight of me."

"Got it," Clark promised as he pulled at her hand and turned the corner of a skyscraper, Lex still in their sights as they went.

Lizzie followed Clark as he moved back into LexCorp, the familiar sight of the basement suddenly engulfing them as they went. Lizzie lowered herself to her feet as Clark looked around for any sign of Lex. Liz set about trying to find the syringe which had sat on the metal table.

"It's gone!" Lizzie called out to Clark, tossing everything to one side which sat in her path. The immensity of strength she had scared her slightly. She never thought that she would be so powerful in her life. She looked back to Clark before noticing a shadow on the floor. She looked upwards and saw him hovering on the ceiling, the syringe in his hand as he did so.

His gaze caught Lizzie's as she flew forwards, bumping into him instantly as he tried to fly at Clark. The impact echoed in Clark's ears as Lizzie pushed him through the nearest wall, the rubble crumbling to the floor from the remains of the concrete.

"You won't hurt him," Lizzie snapped at Lex. "I won't let you do this."

"Do you think that you get a say?" Lex wondered, casting her aside with one shove. She landed in the wall, her body making an indentation in it as she did so. A moment of haziness came over her as her eyes changed everything which she saw. She did her best to gain normal vision in time to see Lex struggling with Clark.

Lizzie rushed forwards, snatching the syringe from Lex's hand before she knocked him out of the way. Clark kept hold of Clark's arm, refusing to let him out of his grasp. He did his best to take hold of his other arm, wanting to do nothing more than restrain him from the madness which he was inflicting.

"You won't win!" Lex hollered, using his free arm to swipe Clark from him.

His gaze turned to Lizzie after a moment and she kept the syringe held tightly in her grasp. He began to move, but he wasn't fast enough. Clark moved quicker, grabbing hold of Lex again and pushing him to the floor. Clark's gaze found Lizzie's and she knew what she had to do.

"If you use that on me then I swear to God that I won't tell you how I made it. You'll stay a freak forever, Elizabeth. You'll stay a freak like him!"

"Liz," Clark whispered her name, the sound turning her attention to him.

She had no choice. She had to be like Clark. She couldn't let Lex win.

"I'll tell everyone of you two...you won't stay a secret..."

"Who will believe you?" Clark snapped. "No one will listen, especially when you gain concussion."

"Lizzie," Lex snapped at her. "You know what I can do to you. You know-"

"-Shut up," Lizzie snapped as she stepped closer, the needle in her hand as she dared to aim it at his neck. Her face remained inches from his as he looked at her with wide eyes. "You'll be locked up in a prison cell for a while for all of this. You can't do anything to hurt me now."

She pushed the needle into his neck, the liquid flowing into his blood veins as Clark kept his firm grip on Lex.

"And," Lizzie drawled as she tossed the needle aside, "I quit."

Lex started to say something but didn't gain a chance to. Lizzie picked his weak body from the ground and threw him against the wall, successfully knocking him out. She sunk down to her knees, gasping for breath as a headache came back to her.

Clark looked down at her, his blue orbs filled with sadness and remorse. He moved to stand in front of her, bending down to his knees as he lifted her chin up with one finger. She gazed back at him, a small smile on her face as Clark smiled back and kissed her with haste.

He said nothing to her, not sure what he felt as he held her in his arms and she kept quiet. She just longed for the day to end and for it all to have been a dream.

...

A/N: Thank you so very much to everyone who has read and to those who have reviewed. I'd love it if you could leave your opinion once more!


	29. Chapter 29

"It will take a little bit of time to come to terms with it."

Lizzie listened to Clark as she broke the fourth glass of the evening. She stood in his apartment, still not sure what had happened to her as Clark decided to pour her a glass of wine. He ran his hand down the small of her back as he did so. She kept herself quiet; watching as he easily pulled a glass from the cupboard.

"How long does it take?" she wondered, her voice low as she did so.

Clark shrugged. "It took me a while to be delicate with things, but I was a baby. I learnt at a young age."

"I guess," Lizzie lamely agreed. "I don't think he is going to help me, Clark."

"I know."

"So...I'm stuck like this," Lizzie sighed as Clark dropped his hand from her, his gaze questioning as he looked up to her, his brow arched as he did so. "I didn't mean anything bad about it."

"I know," Clark promised, pressing his lips into her hair before he handed pulled a straw out of the cupboard and dropped it in the wine glass. He looked down at her, a small smirk on his face as she looked up to him and laughed hollowly, nudging him in the shoulder and shoving him a fair distance from her.

"What?" Clark wondered. "I don't want you touching my wine glasses and breaking all of them."

"You ass," Lizzie complained, bending over and sipping the alcohol throw the straw. "I need to learn then."

"You do," Clark said, a small compliment coming from him as Lizzie dared to pick up another glass. She managed not to break this one and she smiled once, content with no more shattered glass for the evening.

Clark took a few steps back to watch her, his arms folded over his chest as he contemplated all that had just happened. This was not what he had wanted for Lizzie. He never thought that she would be like him. He never considered that she would similar to him.

"What is it?" Lizzie wondered as she turned around, the glass held lightly in her hands. "I know that you're thinking of something, Clark."

He nonchalantly shrugged at her, shaking his head back and forth.

"I'm just worried, Liz." Clark admitted. "You've been flying through the skies dressed as yourself. Someone is bound to recognise you. They will hunt you down until they find out who you are. Look at what they tried to do to me, Liz."

She took a moment to gulp loudly, sipping on the wine as she peered over it to look at Clark.

"I wish that you would have stayed on the rooftop," Clark whispered. "I don't want this for you, Lizzie. I don't want them to look at you...like Whitney used to look at me...I don't want you to go through what I went through."

She placed the glass down and moved over to Clark, daring to wrap her arms around his waist. He inhaled sharply before twisting his hand into her limp hair, pressing her cheek against his cheek as his other hand rested on her back. She said nothing for a few moments, deciding what she could say to Clark.

"I'm scared," she finally whispered. "I don't want this, Clark...I know how hard it has been for you...but...I don't want to fly or anything else. I leave that to you."

"You don't have to use them like I do," Clark promised her. "You don't need to don a cape and help me. That is not what I want for you, Lizzie."

"But we'll get through this, won't we?" Lizzie checked with Clark. "We'll find a way through it all."

"Of course we will," Clark said, his chin resting on top of her head. "We always have done."

...

"Clark!"

Lizzie called for him as soon as he re-entered the apartment after saving some civilians somewhere. He found her sat on the sofa with her laptop on her lap. Locking the doors to the balcony; he walked to the sofa and slipped down next to her.

"I'm on YouTube," she complained to him. "Clark, people are commenting about me. They know who I am...everyone who works at LexCorp knows me. How can I get out of this? How can I avoid it?"

"You can't," Clark weakly replied.

The evidence was on her laptop screen. It was staring him in the face. There was no way he could deny anything that had happened.

"What about you?" Lizzie began to worry. "If they see you with me then they'll be able to figure out who you are, Clark. They'll see it like Lex did. You know that he will be spouting about whom you are and who I am."

Clark ran his hand down the back of his neck as he heard her say that. If the press wanted something then they would find it. Clark could tell Lizzie that much. He took a moment to wrap his arm around her shoulders, feeling the tension which sat there. He knew that she was scared. She was petrified about what would happen to her and him.

"Oh God," Lizzie complained, almost on the verge of hyperventilation. "I've ruined everything...I've ruined it all..."

"No," Clark sternly replied. "You weren't to know what he would do to you. You had no idea what would happen, Lizzie."

"But you warned me," she protested. "You told me that he was trouble."

"I didn't think he would have done this to you," Clark commented. "I never thought that he would go this far. I didn't think it would be possible."

"And now...now we're...I'm..."

"Sh," Clark soothed her. "Lizzie, look at me."

He drew her gaze back to his with the small movement of a finger under her chin. He looked down at her, his orbs intense as he did so. She stared back as he pushed the tears from her cheeks.

"You are not to blame for any of this, and I won't let you beat yourself up over it. Do you understand me? Neither of us wanted this, I know. But it happened, and we will deal with it as well as we can do."

"I know," Lizzie sniffed.

Clark said nothing for a moment as he heard the phone ring in his apartment. He pecked her on the cheek before answering it.

"Clark Kent! What have you done to Lizzie?"

"Hi, mom," Clark drawled back. "I guess you've heard."

"Heard?" Martha snapped the word back to him, continuously pacing up and down in her living room, the cord from the telephone following her as she went. "Clark, the press are camped outside her apartment and are waiting for her to come out."

"What?" Clark snapped.

"Some old PA of Lex Luthor's told them it was her. I suppose a good sum was paid for it."

Lizzie heard the information from the phone, her ears picking up on every piece of noise audible. She closed her eyes and closed her laptop, placing it on the floor for a few moments. She pulled her legs into a ball and inhaled sharply, resting her chin on her knees as Clark began to worry.

"Right," Clark mumbled. "I see."

"You need to get her out of Metropolis, Clark. She can't be handling this well. I remember you when you were younger. How did this happen? Is it something to do with you two...well...consummating the relationship?"

"No," Clark replied, a small red blush on his face. "It has nothing to do with that, mom. Lex stole Zod's body. He managed to make blood cells like Krytponians and injected Lizzie with it before taking the plunge himself. He had one antidote to change back and I used it on him...Lizzie...he won't tell her how to make any more of it."

"Bastard!" Martha snapped and Lizzie chuckled at hearing her.

"I know," Clark numbly agreed.

"If they've found her apartment then they are bound to find yours soon, Clark."

"No one apart from Lex knew of our relationship."

"People will start to claim they've seen Lizzie. They'll tell the press and the press will find you. It is only a matter of time, sweetie."

"Where can we go?" Clark wondered; his voice low as he did so. "What can we do, mom?"

"Bring her back to Smallville for a while," Martha said. "You two can stay with me for a while if you need to. Her mom has called me and she is worrying. She says she can't get hold of Lizzie. I'll tell Ellie that she's fine."

"And how long will we be able to hide there?" Clark wondered from Martha. "No one knows who I am. I don't want anyone to know who Lizzie is. You know that they will want her for questioning like they did me."

"Sometimes you need to figure these things out together," Martha forced herself to shrug. "Just get on the first plane home, Clark."

"Okay," Clark agreed with his mother. He bid her goodbye and looked to Lizzie.

She was already stood up and ready to go. She wanted out for a while. She needed out for a while. Clark smiled at her and the pair of them began to pack a bag so that they could return home for Smallville; the place it had all started.

...

A/N: So thanks to everyone reading and all my reviewers! There will be more to come...but, you will have to wait for 10 days as I leave for Greece tomorrow morning! I do hope you will review in the meantime and stick with me!


	30. Chapter 30

Clark had managed to get Elizabeth to Smallville without any hassle. The FBI had turned up to her apartment the previous night, wondering where she was. She'd seen it all on the news as she sat in the living room with Clark and his mother.

Her mother had left earlier after ranting about everything that she had seen. She told her daughter that she couldn't answer the phone without being hounded by the press. Lizzie had assured her mother that she would sort everything out. She didn't know how, but she knew that she would.

Clark had helped his mother to prepare dinner for that evening, watching as Lizzie stood outside of the house, wandering around the field behind. Clark said nothing for a moment as he peeled potatoes above the sink.

"She isn't right, Clark," Martha told her son.

"I know," Clark said. "She's just thinking of everything that's happened so far. She needs a bit of space."

"Does she?" Martha dared to ask her son. "I've got no idea what that girl needs, son, but I think she needs you. Go out to her."

"And say what?" Clark wondered. "Everything is fine for me, mom. Only a certain few know who I am...but...Lizzie...everyone knows who she is. The FBI will be onto her soon enough, demanding to investigate her."

"Maybe they will be understanding towards her?" Martha suggested, waving a hand in the air as she peeled the carrots. "They were for you."

"They had me handcuffed," Clark replied. "They still don't entirely trust me ."

"I don't think they will. They cannot trust what they cannot understand," Martha said to her son. "Go to Lizzie and see what she's thinking, Clark. It's making me nervous watching her wander around."

Clark took a deep breath and finished the final potato he was peeling. He set it down on the counter before moving outside into the cold air. He shrugged himself out of the jacket he wore as he approached Lizzie. He draped it over her shoulders as she looked up to him, a small smile on her face as she did so.

"I don't get cold," she reminded him.

Clark shrugged, dropping his hands into his jean pockets as he did so. He looked down to her as she looked into the rows of trees.

"Humour me," he urged her. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was thinking," Lizzie admitted to Clark. "I was thinking about everything that has happened to us...I mean...this is where we...where you told me who you was. You stopped the tree from killing me. You saved my life."

"I remember well enough," Clark replied with a quick nod.

"What would have happened if you didn't have super strength?" Lizzie wondered from Clark. "What would have happened if you never came to earth?"

Clark scratched the back of his neck for a moment before he shrugged at her, not too sure what he should say in response to her questions.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"I mean, how many people have you saved, Clark?" Lizzie wondered. "How many lives have you helped?"

"Lizzie," Clark drawled, "I do it because it is right for me."

"Then it should be right for me," Lizzie nodded with haste. "I should help you, shouldn't I? I mean, I'm not scared to do that."

"No," Clark shook his head. "You don't need to do that, Liz. No one knows who I am. I can do this. Everyone will know who you are, and there will always be people who resent you for it. Look at Lex. He found out who I was and he used me against you."

"Yet he never said anything about you being Superman."

"He did," Clark said, remembering what his mother had told him when she had made dinner with him. "No one believed him. Apparently he was disorientated. Besides, I have a medical prescription which says I need glasses."

"How did you manage that?"

"I know people," Clark told her with a smirk. "That's not the point. Everyone who knows Clark Kent says that he cannot be Superman. Lex did suffer concussion."

"That's good," Lizzie said. "But if someone wanted to hurt me then they would go to you, Clark. It isn't like you could be hurt."

"No," Clark agreed, "but I could be discovered because of it. I don't want you to help me, Lizzie. I know that it may be impossible to hurt you...but...the thought of someone trying..." Clark trailed off, looking at her as she looked back to him. "And what if someone hurt your mother? You are not a symbol, Liz."

Elizabeth said nothing for a few moments, not too sure what she could say to appease Clark. It seemed he had his mind made up on the matter.

"You're right," Lizzie said. "I never thought anyone would want to hurt you."

"And look how wrong we were," Clark told her, snaking one arm around her waist before holding her tightly to his side. She moved one of her own arms to his waist before she looked back to the tree which had almost ended her.

"If no one knew who I was then I would come with you," Lizzie assured him. "Standing here and thinking of what you do...well...it made me realise that I could help. I don't have to sit in and wait for you to come back to me."

"The chances of me not coming back are slim," Clark assured her.

"It doesn't make it any easier," Lizzie retorted. "So what do you suggest I do? Everyone knows who I am. The FBI are looking for me. It will only be a matter of time before they find out about Smallville."

"I know," Clark nodded in agreement. "What do you really want to do, Lizzie? If they find you then they'll take you in for questioning."

"Maybe I can see what they suggest," Lizzie said. "Surely they won't fear me."

"They fear what they don't know," Clark told her.

The two of them began to walk side by side through the gardens. She dropped her arm and moved her hand into his as they wandered through the long grass.

"But they do know," Lizzie protested. "They have seen you, Clark. They don't try to stop you from doing what you do now. You're like the Batman of Gotham."

Clark chuckled at that, knowing that he was compared to Batman quite often.

"I know," Clark assured her. "It is your decision, Lizzie. We can flee or we can stay."

"I didn't even consider fleeing to be an option," Lizzie admitted to Clark. "What is the point? Fleeing will not achieve anything."

The two of them kept quiet as they heard a sound in the distance. Clark looked down the Lizzie, the sound of speeding tyres echoing through their ears. Clearly it didn't take the FBI long to find them. Clark took hold of both of Lizzie's hands, bending down to look her in the eye.

"We can go," Clark assured her. "We can do whatever you want."

"We always do what I want," Lizzie shook her head. "It's never gotten us anywhere before."

"Liz-"

"-I'm not scared," she promised him. "Far from it."

Clark said nothing more as he kissed her quickly. She pulled back after a moment and nodded at him.

"I'm ready," she assured him, adjusting the tie he wore as he pulled his glasses from his pocket and placed them on his nose.

"I've told you, she isn't here!"

Martha continued her protests to the four men who stood outside her home. Lizzie could see more vans in the distance, all of them waiting for her to come quietly. Her hand rested inside of Clark's as he slouched downwards, mussing his hair up as he stood besides his mother and the men in suits looked to them.

"She's not here?" one asked Martha, his tone dry and sarcastic.

"Must have slipped my mind," she shrugged, clearly wanting nothing to do with the man in front of her. "Lizzie, what are you doing?"

"Miss Lowe?" the man asked at the same time as Martha. Clark looked to his mother, shaking his head as he did so. He kept hold of Lizzie's hand as she stood tall, inhaling sharply as she nodded.

"Yes," she said. "I am Elizabeth Lowe."

"You're going to have to come with us, ma'am," he informed her.

"What are you going to do to her?" Clark worried. "You're not going to hurt her."

"No," the man replied. "It would serve us no power to hurt her. From what we hear she could easily win."

"Probably," Lizzie nodded. "So what do you want to do to me? I don't think I have done anything wrong."

"Don't make this so difficult, Miss Lowe," the man advised her. "People know who you are. They'll be tearing their hair out to get to you. We're here to make your life easy."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Lizzie wondered.

"Come with us and we shall discuss it," the man retorted to her.

Lizzie rolled her eyes but nodded. She supposed she had no other choice but to do what was asked of her.

"Fine," Lizzie agreed.

"I'm coming with you," Clark told her.

"And you are?"

"Her boyfriend," Martha answered for her son. "He's going with her. Who knows if you can be trusted with her?"

"Miss Lowe will be perfectly safe," the man assured her. "But if you wish to come and wait then I see no issue. Although the coffee machine is out of order."

"I'll cope," Clark mumbled, still holding Lizzie's hand as the man opened the car door for the pair of them. Neither of them said anything as they journeyed through the roads; both of them quiet as they wondered what was in store for them now.

...

A/N: So thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Do let me know what you think


	31. Chapter 31

"I've told you everything."

Elizabeth's voice was one of complaint as she sat in the dull room. She'd been handcuffed and Clark had been told that he couldn't go into the interviewing room with her. That was how he found himself stood in the waiting room, craving caffeine but unable to have any due to the out of order machine.

Elizabeth had been stuck in the room for the past hour, going over her story multiple times. Agent Barnard didn't seem to want to believe her on the entire matter. The thing which intrigued him most was that she had met Superman up in the sky.

"He seemed pretty cosy with you on the footage."

"It is some video from YouTube," drawled Lizzie. "I have no idea who he is. I saw that he was there when Lex was. I thought that he might need some help. I supposed that two is better than one."

"So you had never met Superman until that day?" Barnard checked, pulling on his black tie before taking a sip of water.

Lizzie did her best not to yell in frustration at what she was hearing from him. She was struggling to do anything but groan in exasperation.

"No!" she snapped. "I haven't seen him since, either. Clearly he wants nothing to do with me."

"Or maybe he can't find you?"

"I doubt that considering my face is on the TV at every given moment," Lizzie replied, her brow arched before she pushed a hand through her hair. "Look, have you not spoken to Lex Luthor? He knows the cure for this. I never asked to be super human."

"He's claiming that he doesn't remember the method. No one else knows it either. The body of General Zod has been lost. We suspect he has destroyed the body. That was needed to make you normal again."

"And where is Lex?" Lizzie wondered.

"Pending trial. He's in serious trouble over this."

"Right," Lizzie nodded, a small snort sounding from her. "And he refuses to help. Well this is just great. So what now? You've had me locked in here for an hour now. I've done nothing wrong."

"You could be a national threat," he reminded her.

"Is Superman considered a national threat? I thought that he was a national treasure?"

"He's seen as both nowadays," the man admitted to her. "Your story seems to add up. I doubt we can keep you in custody all day. You'd find a way to escape."

"I could have done that as soon as you rolled up in Smallville," she promised him. "I decided to be good and hand myself in. I thought that maybe I could have some faith in you and your boys."

"I suppose we did say that we would help you," Barnard agreed with her, nodding his bald head stiffly. His blue eyes found Lizzie's as she leant back in her chair and folded her arms over her stomach, waiting for him to make a statement. So far she hadn't heard anything that sounded appealing to her.

"And will you?" Lizzie wondered. "I never asked to be this Superhero. I never wanted any of this. I was a PA, for goodness sakes. I don't intend to do anything dangerous."

"I think I can see that, Miss Lowe," Barnard assured her. "But you know how worrying it is that you're out there, don't you?"

"I see where you're coming from," Lizzie promised him. "And I know that my word probably means...well...little to you people."

"You'll be under constant watch," Barnard told her. "You know that, don't you?"

"The media seem to be doing a good job about that," Lizzie drawled, looking down to the table.

"We have no over option but to trust your word," Barnard sighed, looking to the mirror. He knew that his colleagues would be looking at him, wondering what he was going to do with the girl. The matter was serious, all of them knew that.

"So you'll let me go?" she checked with him, her voice full of optimism. All she wanted was to go back home with Clark. Why was that so difficult to ask?

"There will be a few conditions to it," Barnard told her sternly. "We are willing to offer you a new identity. Elizabeth Lowe will no longer exist. She will die along with her powers. The toxin didn't react well in your blood stream and it killed you. You'll change your appearance so that no one will recognise you. Dye your hair, wear contacts, dress differently...you get the picture."

"And that's it?" Lizzie checked; her brow arched as she did so.

"Not quite," the agent says. "Someone will always be watching you, Miss Lowe. There will always be someone to make sure that you don't turn against us. If we even get a whiff of trouble from you then that's it. You're back in FBI custody and I'll find a cell which even you can't escape from."

"I doubt that," Lizzie muttered. Her comment earned her a glare from the man across from her. She shuffled in her seat, sitting up straight as she thought about what he was offering her.

"If you have any contact with Superman again then I want to know," Barnard said. "He's still on a threat list, when all said and done. If you even think of going flying with him then remember that there will be people watching you. Journalists aren't stupid. They'll see through some contacts and a brown hair dye. You're the only woman they know who has these powers. They'll put two and two together."

"I guess the identity will be dropped then," Lizzie mumbled to him.

"You guess correctly," he promised her.

Lizzie decided to keep quiet on that matter, deciding it wasn't best for her to agree to something she didn't know could happen. She didn't want to leave Clark alone out there.

"So, we have an agreement, Miss Lowe?"

"I suppose we have to have one, don't we?"

...

"All of this attention has been ridiculous, Lizzie."

Elizabeth kept her hand on the wall as she held the phone in her other hand. She had been staying at Martha's house for the past few weeks. Clark had been doing his best to teach her how to use her powers. He flew back to Metropolis in the morning, saving people before going to work. He would then fly back to Smallville at night to teach Lizzie.

"People are baking cakes. They are sending me flowers and cards. I've even had to buy a new black dress for your pretend funeral. It's very nice, Lizzie. I'd say it is quite vintage."

"You do know that you shouldn't be so happy about my death, mom?" Lizzie checked; a small smirk on her face as she did so.

"It's all been prepared so well, Lizzie," Ellie assured her daughter. "I just hope that the tears will fall on the day. I would hate to look like some hard hearted mother."

"Isn't that what you have always been?" Lizzie teased her mother.

"Enough of that," Ellie said, although Lizzie could sense there was a small smile on her face. "Anyway, I will come around after the funeral tomorrow. I haven't seen you in days on end."

"I doubt you would recognise me," Lizzie scoffed, looking to her reflection as she glanced to the glass. Her hair had been dyed a dark brown and her contacts continued to irritate her eyes. Clark was coming back to Smallville for her funeral and Elizabeth had the joy of sitting inside until it was all over.

She wondered how long it would be before she could be seen with Clark in public again. She supposed time would heal him, and then he would find a new brunette who would make his life better and he would be able to move on.

"Well I hardly like the name you have chosen," Ellie scoffed. "Annabelle...I named you Elizabeth for a reason."

"I know that you did," Elizabeth said. "Look, mom, I have to go. I need to prepare dinner for tonight."

"Look after yourself, my love," Ellie urged her daughter. "I shall see you as soon as I can."

"Love you, mom."

"Love you too."

Lizzie hung the phone up and rolled up the sleeves to her red dress, allowing them to rest at her elbow. She kept quiet for a few moments as Martha walked back into the kitchen, her washing basket in her hands as she went.

"It is quite blustery out there," Martha said as Lizzie smiled at her and moved over to the fridge, opening it and seeing what foods there were.

"I heard you in the bathroom this morning," Martha informed Lizzie. "This is the second morning in the row."

"I know it is," Lizzie sighed, pulling out a carton of milk. She kept quiet as she searched for more foods. "I think that it could have been something I ate. Maybe it could be the injection with Lex gave me...the after effects of it..."

"For two days in a row?" Martha wondered. "Lizzie, are you sure it cannot be something else?"

"I cannot think what," Lizzie replied. "I feel fine now."

"Well...I mean...I don't want to pry..." Martha whispered. "But...you and Clark have been together, haven't you? You've had each other."

Lizzie felt a blush on her cheeks as she thought about what she was hearing. She shook her head back and forth, a smile of disbelief on her face.

"We were careful," Lizzie promised Martha. "It can't be anything like that. Surely...no..."

"Maybe you should make sure, dear?" Martha asked her. "I don't mean to worry you, but it could be something."

"Well...I don't know..." Lizzie whispered, continuing to pull out foods from the fridge.

"I will get a test if you want me to?" Martha wondered. "Just to be on the safe side? I mean, it probably is something you ate lingering in your body."

"Exactly," Lizzie nodded, forcing herself to smile at Martha.

Martha grinned back before turning away, only then did both women frown with worry at what they had heard from each other.

...

A/N: So thanks to everyone who has review thus far! Do let me know what you think!


	32. Chapter 32

Lizzie had been making the sauce for the spaghetti carbonara in silence. She found herself unable to do anything but that as Martha went to the store. Lizzie knew that people would find it odd if she picked up a pregnancy test. Most people in Smallville knew everyone's business. They'd soon question Martha and her recent purchase.

She stirred the sauce slowly, placing some on top of the wooden spoon before slurping it off. She kept quiet for a few moments, deciding whether or not it needed more milk before she heard the slamming of a car door. She pulled the pan off the heat and rushed through to the living room, waiting for Martha to come in.

Ms Kent stepped inside, a large brown carrier in her hands as she went.

"Gods, the questions old Shirley Monroe asked me when I got the pregnancy test. I had to tell her it was for one of my distant cousins who's in town for the weekend. Don't know if she bought it or not."

"Thanks, Martha," Lizzie said, noticing that she had a job holding the bag. She plucked it from her hands and moved into the kitchen, her super speed coming into play as she went.

She emptied the bag and searched for the pregnancy test, doing her best to remain calm as soon as she found it. Martha stood in the doorway, folding her arms as a sad smile came over her. She remembered when Lizzie had been a girl. When she had been in her kitchen teasing Clark over trivial things.

How she wished time didn't pass her by so quickly.

"Get it over and done with," Martha said. "There's no use staring at it and wondering, Liz."

"Right," Lizzie nodded once.

She took the test with her up the stairs to the bathroom, following the instructions before the long wait began. Martha stood downstairs, unpacking the rest of her groceries whilst she waited for Lizzie to come down and deliver the news. She didn't know if the girl was happy at the prospect of having a child, or disappointed. Martha assumed that it was the shock which had gotten to her.

Without a doubt, she clearly had not been expecting this for news.

Elizabeth trudged back down the stairs, her feet heavy and her mind elsewhere as she came to stand in the kitchen doorway. She had her arms folded over her stomach as she looked to Martha.

Martha stood where she was, a brow arched as she held the apples she had been in the process of putting away.

"I'm pregnant," Lizzie whispered to the woman. "Martha, I'm pregnant."

A small smile crept over Martha's face, the thought of becoming a grandparent something which excited her. She also liked the fact that she had managed to find out before Lizzie's mother.

Lizzie placed a hand over her mouth as a small tear fell down her cheek and a laugh escaped her. She didn't know how she felt at that moment in time. Her hormones were raging and her emotions were high. Martha moved over to her, wrapping her into her arms slowly.

"Oh, Lizzie," she sighed as the girl gurgled.

Martha placed her at arm's length, looking at her with wide eyes. Lizzie's tears had begun to flow freely as a smile remained on her face. She couldn't help the look which she had in her eyes.

It was the same look which Martha had the first time she had seen Clark in his cot.

"How are you feeling?"

Lizzie scoffed at that.

"Nervous, scared, excited," she explained. "Is it possible to feel all of those emotions at once?"

"Honey, believe me, I've been there and done that. Trust me; the ride gets a lot bumpier." Martha said and Lizzie smiled warmly, her head shaking back and forth as she thought about the revelation which had just come her way.

"How do you think Clark will react?" Lizzie wondered. "He said that he wanted a family after marriage."

"Maybe this will help him to get his ass into gear," Martha scoffed, patting Lizzie on the shoulder. "Gods know that he isn't getting any younger and you two aren't splitting anytime soon."

Martha wandered back into the kitchen to finish off packing whilst Lizzie stood in the living room, still moving around with the dumbstruck look on her face.

...

Clark was growing emotionally drained. He couldn't deny that. He had to act depressed around work, saddened at the death of his girlfriend. Only then could he return home to see her, perfectly healthy and alive. And then he had to attend her pretend funeral the following day.

Never mind the fact that Lizzie was insistent about helping him at night and screwing what the government thought about it. Clark had enough stress on his hands. All he wanted was one night of peace; one night where he could sleep beside Lizzie peacefully.

"Clark, is that you?"

He entered the door as he heard Lizzie call him, her voice coming from the kitchen. He dropped his messenger bag to the floor by the door, raking a hand through his thick black hair.

"Yeah," he called back, moving slowly into the kitchen.

Lizzie was stood with her back against the counter and her arms folded over her stomach. He could smell some kind of pasta food as he moved towards her, his hands resting on her shoulders as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Where's my mom?"

"She went out for the evening. She said she was meeting some friends for a meal and drinks," Lizzie replied. "She said not to bother waiting up for her."

Clark snorted at that.

"As if that will happen," he replied. "I could swear I act more like her father in some respects than others."

Clark was no fool. He noticed the way Lizzie's face paled as he mentioned the previous sentence. He arched his brow, looking at her with wonder as she decided to move and stir the sauce in the pans. Clark shook his head, wondering if his brain was overanalysing everything. It had a tendency to do that.

"How was your day?" Clark wondered from her, moving to grab a beer from the fridge.

"Oh, it was fine," nodded Lizzie. "I called my mom. She sounds more excited than she should over my funeral tomorrow."

Clark scoffed. "That doesn't surprise. This is your mother we're talking about."

"Can you stop badmouthing my mother?" Lizzie wondered. "Honestly, Clark, she's not that bad once you get to know her."

"I'll take your word, and won't find out for myself," Clark promised her, a sickly sweet smile on his face.

Lizzie rolled her eyes at hearing him, her head shaking back and forth as she turned around to face him. She had to tell him sooner or later. She supposed sooner would be the better option.

"Clark," she began; her tone one of nervousness. "I do have something to tell you."

"If this is about you coming to help me, then I've told you no-"

"-It isn't about that," Lizzie assured him. "Although we will have that debate another day, I promise you that."

"I do not doubt you," Clark promised her, holding the beer in his grip as he folded his arms. "So what is it?"

Lizzie took a deep breath, calming her nerves. "Well, you remember that we...well...we've..."

Lizzie trailed off, unable to say anything further as Clark noted the blush on her cheeks. He knew what she was trying to think as the red deepened to scarlet on her pale skin.

"I remember," Clark said. "What about it?"

"Well," Lizzie coughed. "I know that we were safe...but...sometimes safety isn't...well...it isn't always one hundred per cent, is it? There can be things that happen. Things which we cannot predict."

Clark listened to her insistent blabbering, doing his best to decode what she was trying to say to him. He could have sworn that she talked rubbish most of the time. He was slowly beginning to build the puzzle, placing each piece into its place as Lizzie finished speaking. Her eyes were wide as she waited for Clark and his reaction to her.

He gulped loudly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Your mother bought the test from the store. It came back positive, Clark," Elizabeth whispered. "I'm pregnant."

Clark could feel the beer bottle slipping from his hands before it fell to the floor and smashed. The liquid squirted into the air, catching the bottom of their legs as Lizzie's mouth gaped open and Clark struggled to find one single comprehendible thought.

"Say something," Lizzie urged him.

"I don't know what to say," Clark told her. "I never...well...not yet..."

"I know that we didn't plan for this to happen," Lizzie promised him. "But it has, Clark. I...I felt the same as you do now. I'm as scared as you are. We both didn't expect this. We haven't discussed children in a while."

"I guess we'll have to now," Clark said, finally managing to bring his gaze back to her.

She watched him for a few seconds, wondering what was going through his mind.

"You're not...well...you're handling this better than I thought." Lizzie admitted to Clark.

"How did you think I would handle it?"

She scratched the back of her neck before leaning down into the cupboard to find the dustpan and brush.

"I don't know," Lizzie said. "I thought that you might faint. Or maybe panic."

"Oh, believe me," Clark said, "I'm panicking."

"I get that," she promised him. "I am too. We'll work through it though, won't we? We've always managed to do so-"

"-This baby won't be normal," Clark interrupted, unable to keep his thoughts in his head. "It will have everything that we have."

"And we will teach it the ways of the world," Lizzie promised Clark. "Martha and Jonathan raised you, Clark. You turned out fine to me."

"In the end," Clark said. "I don't...I've not...we're not prepared for this. We have no baby stuff. We don't even live together."

"Clark," Lizzie said, a soft laugh escaping her. "The baby doesn't come for nine months. We have time."

"And what about if people see me pushing a baby around with a girl when my girlfriend has supposedly died?" Clark wondered from Lizzie. "What do I do then?"

She bit down on her bottom lip, shaking her head back and forth slowly.

"We don't need to worry about that," she said, refusing to let Clark ruin what was supposed to be a happy moment. "Please, Clark, we really don't need to worry about that just yet."

He said nothing to that, his mind already coming up with ideas for the future.

"Hey, you shouldn't be doing that," Clark said as she begun to bend down and sweep up the broken glass.

"I'm pregnant, Clark," Lizzie laughed at his overbearing behaviour. "I'm not going to injure myself."

"I'm not bothered," Clark promised her, taking the brush from her hands as she rested a hand on his shoulder. He stopped for a moment, exhaling deeply as he did so.

"Are you sure that you're alright?" Lizzie whispered to him. "I know that this is a lot to take in."

He moved his free hand to cover hers, his blue eyes finding her dark ones. He leaned in closer to her, his forehead resting against hers as he elicited a sigh.

"We'll cope," Clark whispered.

Lizzie rested her hand on his cheek as the pair of them knelt on the kitchen floor. "We always have."

...

A/N: There are only a few more chapters to the story left, AND for those who show concern over Lizzie not using her powers to help Clark, do not fear, that is still to come! In the meantime, do review for me, please!


	33. Chapter 33

Clark was old fashioned. Lizzie had always known that. He was a gentleman, a man who wanted to do things properly. That was why he had wanted to marry her before deciding to start a family. Of course, he had never planned to have children until that time. The sudden news of this baby was something which had startled Clark.

He had turned up to her pretend funeral the following day, dressed in his finest suit. He sat besides his mother and her mother, looking to the empty coffin. He still struggled to believe how much detail the FBI had gone into on the matter. He said nothing more, deciding to remain quiet and think of the question which he intended to ask Lizzie's mother.

The woman was playing a good part that day. She was holding a handkerchief to her eyes, dabbing at the tears which showed in her eyes. Clark would have given her an award then and there if he could.

The day seemed to go by slowly, Clark listening to people as they told him how sorry they were, and how lovely Lizzie was. None of them mentioned her powers, all of them deciding to keep quiet. Clark supposed he was thankful for that.

"I need a word with you, Kent," Ellie hissed once they had left the church.

People began to scatter from the churchyard whilst Ellie moved over into the graveyard, searching for her husband's plaque. Clark watched her move as he stood with his mother. Martha's brow furrowed before she whistled lowly.

"I don't think she's happy with you."

"Let me know when she is happy with me," Clark scoffed and dropped one hand into his pocket. His other adjusted the glasses which sat on the tip of his nose.

Martha ended up being swooped into conversation, her gaze watching as her son slowly moved down the churchyard to where Ellie stood away from prying eyes and ears.

Clark took to stand by her side, looking down at the gravestone of Lizzie's father. He kept quiet, deciding to allow Ellie to start the conversation. It seemed that they both needed to talk to each other for once.

"Liz called me last night," she whispered to Clark. "She told me everything."

A small gulp ran down Clark's throat. He was Superman, for heaven's sake. He shouldn't be scared of a middle aged woman. Yet he was petrified of her. He'd always been worried when it came to Ms Lowe.

"She told me that she's pregnant," Ellie said, her stern gaze looking to Clark.

Clark had thought that she would smile about it. He thought that she would be happy. He knew that his mother was thrilled with the piece of information.

"She is," Clark said, all other words seeming to fail him.

"She was thrilled," Ellie whispered. "I was too. I was happy because she was happy. It was when she hung up when I began to worry, Clark."

"About the baby?" Clark wondered from her.

She nodded once, wrapping her arms around her body as she did so. She supposed she had never thought of it before. She had urged her daughter to try and have a child, but she didn't think about it.

"I know that the baby may not be normal," Ellie spoke. "I can accept that. I trust you and Lizzie to look after your child. What worries me is Lizzie carrying this baby. I...the baby will be strong, won't it?"

Clark nodded.

"And when it kicks...will it hurt her? Will she be able to cope with this child inside of her?" Ellie worried. "I remember her telling me that you were Krypton's first natural birth. Apparently they never happened."

"No," Clark replied. "They never did happen. I know that you're worried about her, Ms Lowe. These are all the things that I have thought about too. Lizzie is strong. She has blood of Krypton running through her now. If my mother had the strength to give birth to me...then...I hope Lizzie has the strength to give birth to our child."

Ellie looked at him for a moment, regarding him with curiosity. Why could her daughter not have chosen a simple man? Why did she have to love a superhero? Ellie could swear that she made her life difficult on purpose.

"There is nothing we can but be there for her," Ellie sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "And I know that you will be by her side through this. You've been there for everything."

"I won't let her down," Clark promised Ms Lowe. "Anyway, there was a question which I wanted to ask you."

"Oh?"

"I know that...well...normally you would ask the father this kind of thing," Clark coughed, looking down to Mr Lowe's gravestone again. He took a deep breath before looking back to Ellie. Her eyes had widened in expectation and her lips were taut.

"But Lizzie is your daughter too," Clark nodded. "I thought it would only be right for me to ask you. I would like to ask Lizzie to marry me."

Ellie tried to keep a straight face, but she failed miserably. Clark didn't think he had ever seen a genuine smile on her face. She allowed herself one nod in response to his question. Breathing a sigh of relief, Clark gratefully grinned back to her.

"Of course," she said. "I doubt I could stop you two anyway."

"Thank you," Clark gratefully replied. "It means a lot to me."

"And to Lizzie too," Ellie replied. "I thought that this day would never come. I hope you're not doing it because she is pregnant."

"I'm doing it because I love her and I want our child to have a proper family," Clark promised Ellie. "I'd thought about it for a while."

"You spent too long thinking," Ellie laughed gently, her hand resting on Clark's shoulder. "Thank you for asking me Clark. It was...well...it was lovely. Truly, I appreciate it."

Clark did his best not to look too concerned at Ellie and her gracious attitude. It was something that Clark had not often encountered. He kept quiet for a few moments as Ellie looked down at her husband's stone.

"I should get going," Clark said. "Lizzie will be waiting. Do you want a ride or anything?"

"I'm good," Ellie promised him. "Tell Lizzie I will be round tomorrow. I'm going to stay here for a bit."

Bowing his head, Clark left her to her thoughts, hearing her as he wandered back to his mother;

"Did you hear that, Dan? Clark is finally going to propose to Lizzie; even after we spent months warning her off of him? It seems our daughter never will do what she's told."

...

Clark didn't know where to propose. He didn't know how to propose. Time seemed to pass and he grew more eager. His mother had given him a ring which had been her grandmother's. She had intended to pass it down to her daughter if she ever had one. She knew that Lizzie was the closest thing which she would have to a daughter now.

Lizzie could tell that something was off with Clark. He flew to work and flew home, his mind distracted all the time. Lizzie spent her days doing her best to control her powers and not focus on the growing bump which was her stomach. She doubted she would be carrying the baby for nine months; what with the alarming rate she was growing outwards.

It wasn't until three weeks after Clark had asked permission did he bite the bullet and fight his nerves. He had found Lizzie sat on the front step of the porch in the cold evening air, her mind obviously somewhere else. Clark pushed the outer door open and moved to sit next to her, his hands clasped together.

"What are you doing out here?" Clark wondered.

"Getting some air," she explained. "I could swear that this baby is making me feel sick all the time. I thought sickness was just reserved for the morning?"

"Do you need anything for it?" Clark wondered from her, the concern in his voice back. He always was worried when it came to her health and the baby's health.

"I'll be fine in a few moments," she promised, turning her head to offer him a small smile. "How was work?"

"Back to normal," Clark admitted to her. "Lois keeps trying to dig out more gossip on Superman. I'm winning in the ratings column and she needs more gossip. I only smile and tell her that she needs to pay more attention to her surroundings. That's what a good journalist would do."

"She's a prize winning journalist."

"Without any superpowers," Clark added on with a small smirk. "She really doesn't stand a chance against me, does she?"

"I suppose not," Lizzie said, shaking her head back and forth as she thought of the banter between Lois and Clark. She knew that she shouldn't be jealous. She was carrying Clark's child. She was living with Clark's mother. She supposed her mind always thought back to their kiss that day in Metropolis.

"Anyway," Clark spoke, shaking his head as he moved his hand to feel the lump in his pocket. "I do have something to ask you."

"If it is about dinner then you can go and find your own. You're like a school kid with an appetite whenever you come home from work." Lizzie complained to him, smirking as she did so.

Shaking his head, Clark slowly moved down the steps to rest on the grass, one knee bent down as Lizzie's eyes widened.

"Although I am hungry, I do think that there is another pressing question first," he smiled.

Clark pulled out the box he had kept the ring in, fiddling with the clasp before he opened the lid to reveal the glittering blue stone against the old gold band. Lizzie's mouth gaped open as Clark looked down to the ring.

"My grandmother had this ring. She passed it down to my mom. Mom was going to save it for when she had a daughter...and well...I suppose she could do that by gaining a daughter," Clark explained, his palms sweating as Lizzie stared at the ring. "I suppose what I'm wanting to really ask is if you would marry me?"

Lizzie froze for a moment, too overwhelmed to speak. Clark patiently waited for some kind of response before she muttered back to him.

"Yes," she said. "My God, yes."

She smiled as Clark hastily pulled the ring from the box and deposited it back in his pocket. He took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger, hoping that it fit perfectly. He saw that it was a little too big, but he could fix that. Lizzie admired the rock before she pushed her arms around Clark's neck, drawing him up to her height on the step as he clumsily fell over her.

Her lips pressed against his as she rested her hand on his cheek.

"I love you, Clark Kent." Lizzie whispered to him. "I love you so much."

"Likewise," Clark said, kissing her again. "Now you have to plan a wedding."

She laughed lightly. "I think I've already got my ideas for our wedding. I've waited a while for this."

"No more waiting now."

...

A/N: Thanks to anyone who is reviewing! Do let me know what you think and thanks for reading!


	34. Chapter 34

Clark supposed he was lucky. No one truly knew him in Metropolis. No one knew of his personal life, and so he wouldn't find it difficult to get a mortgage and buy a house. He had decided that it was time for him and Lizzie to move in together. She was still in Kansas, living with his mother until the press coverage of her death died down.

Thankfully the uproar didn't last that long, and within a month people had forgotten about what they had seen in Metropolis's skyline. Clark could wander around and no one would look at him. No one would ask him questions when he told them his name. And if they did he said that they had the wrong person.

People at work had known of Elizabeth, but Lois had spread the rumour that their relationship had ended before her death. That way it wouldn't look so suspicious when Clark turned up to work with a wedding ring around his finger in the not too distant future.

Lois was the only one who knew the truth. Clark had to talk to someone. He needed to confide in someone about this large secret which was a giant weight on his shoulders. He supposed that Lois was the only friend he had in the office. It was only when she caught him looking on the internet at houses did she question him further.

"That's not work," Lois informed him as she swung around in her chair next to his.

She had her legs folded and a salad balanced on her knees as she picked at it with the plastic fork. Clark reclined in his chair and looked at the property. He knew that it was difficult to find houses in Metropolis, especially ones at reasonable prices for a mortgage.

"I know," Clark said to her.

The office was empty as people went on their lunch breaks and decided to go out to buy food. Normally Clark would find that it was just him and Lois stuck in the office during the free hour. That was when he would talk with her.

She whistled lowly as she saw the property price. "You're going to have to ask Perry for a pay rise if you want that place."

Clark smirked as he heard her and he shook his head, one hand running through his hair.

"I doubt he'd agree to that," Clark replied. "No, I have some money...well...enough money. My mom had some in a separate account for when I reached eighteen. I never used it so hopefully we'll be able to get a mortgage."

"Does Lizzie know of this?" Lois asked, eating the lettuce slowly.

"Annabel," he corrected her with his fiancée's new name. It was still taking Clark some time to get used to calling her it. He struggled, but it was the price he had to pay to be seen in public with her. "She has a vague idea about it. I mean, we've talked about it. I just want to surprise her with it."

"Now that is a surprise," Lois said. "Buying a house without your fiancée truly knowing could be risky. She must really trust you, or she loves you too much to care."

"I'd like to think there's a bit of both in there," Clark said. "I'm going to look around it tomorrow. It's on the outskirts, but it's not far away."

"What's she going to do when she gets to the city?" wondered Lois. "She can't be a stay at home mom all the time, can she?"

"She's determined to find a job," Clark said. "I told her that there is no need to rush into anything. She's pregnant and I don't want her to strain herself. She'll probably have a few years off and then find something. The baby is the most important thing."

"Does she have any idea what she wants to do?" Lois asked. "I mean, she interviewed at the Planet a few times, didn't she?"

"She has two options in mind," Clark complained as Lois arched a brow. "She wants to be involved in Politics. The senator's office is large. She thinks she could work there...managing schedules...writing speeches...I used to joke about her being President one day. Seems that she could be the brains behind a President, I suppose."

"Smart woman," Lois nodded. "And what is the other option?"

"It's a bit more unconventional," Clark said. "And she wouldn't get paid."

Lois's brow furrowed as she listened to Clark. He shook his head as he ran a hand down his cheek and looked over to Lois, his tone full of scepticism as he spoke to her;

"She wants to help me," Clark mumbled. "She thinks that it would be good if she could. She won't let the matter drop. She's like a dog with a bone."

"Well," Lois said, "you know that she _could _help you. I mean, she is strong enough. I guess she can't at the moment, what with baby Kent on the way."

"I don't want her to help," Clark said. "I don't want to see her hurt, Lois. There are always people out there who are willing to hurt her. I don't...just to see them try..."

"Look," Lois said, "I think that Lex Luthor was a one off. He's gone now and Superman is still flying around, isn't he? He's keeping people safe enough and no one is trying to kill him."

Clark nervously shifted around in his seat, supposing that Lois had a point to make. She normally did.

"And what if people discover who she is? What if they find out?"

"You wear glasses and slouch. No one has said a thing," Lois reminded him. "I know what you mean, Clark. I honestly do, but she's just trying to help you. I guess I can't blame her. If I was her then I'd love to have a go. Can you imagine sitting back and doing nothing now?"

The question lingered in the air as Clark took in Lois and her point of view. She shrugged as she picked at a large tomato in the salad box.

"I mean, I could do an article if she ever did join with you...tell people that she's from Krypton like you are. It wouldn't be difficult, and it would mean that I am the one to sell more papers."

"You always sell the papers," Clark scoffed before looking back to his computer screen. He didn't really know what to say back to her. "Well...we still have a lot of things to think about before then. Besides, she might change her mind when she's had the baby."

Lois scoffed. "Your fiancée is more stubborn than you. I wouldn't put anything past her."

...

"Promise that you won't peek."

"I won't," Lizzie said to Clark as he opened her side of the car door. He took hold of her hand before he helped her out of the cab. She stood on the sidewalk whilst Clark paid the driver and moved back to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the neck as she grew impatient.

"Where are we?" she asked from him. "Clark." Her whining voice made him smile.

"Open your eyes," he told her, his voice timid and soft as he did so.

Lizzie's orbs quickly opened and she blinked profusely at the sight in front of her. Her mouth gaped open as she looked at the wooden white building. The porch stood out at the front of the house, a small walkway leading up to it besides the driveway. She kept quiet for a moment, looking over the building before she turned to see Clark.

"I've been looking at it for a few days," he admitted. "I wanted to bring you here before...well...to see if you liked it."

"You've been looking at houses?" Lizzie checked with him.

He nodded and allowed a small gulp to escape him. "You don't mind, do you?"

Placing her hand on his cheek, she turned his gaze to meet hers and she kissed him chastely.

"I love it," she told him. "It's beautiful...it's..."

"I know," Clark told her. "Come on, the estate agent gave me the keys. They want a quick sale," he explained, taking her hand and walking with her down the path. "They said the old couple who own it are planning to retire to Florida. They want a life by the coast now that their kids have all flown the nest. I met them this morning when I picked up the keys."

"They're leaving the family home and we're after one." Lizzie said, a smile on her face as Clark pushed the key into the lock and entered the house.

Lizzie followed him, looking around in the hallway. Of course the decor wasn't to her taste. Everyone had different opinions. But she could see them doing something with the house. She could see them living there.

"Clark, this is amazing," Lizzie said, moving into the kitchen.

"I'd like to think so," he told her as she ran her hand over the counter and he folded his arms, resting against the wooden frame in the doorway.

"Can we afford it?" Lizzie wondered. "I mean, you're the only one earning now. I could find a job, I mean, I will find one now that everything has settled down."

"We can," Clark told her. "My mom had some money saved for me which I never touched."

"I have a savings account," Lizzie confirmed. "I mean, this is too beautiful, Clark."

"It is. I'm assuming you already have plans for it?"

"You have no idea," Lizzie smirked, her hand resting on the curve of her stomach. "It's a big thing."

"Everything has been big since we found each other again," Clark reminded her, moving to kiss her on the cheek.

...

Lizzie had been wandering through the streets of Metropolis two weeks later. She and Clark had moved into their new house and she had run all of her ideas by him. Clark had agreed with her most of the time, grabbing a banana for breakfast and rushing from the house so that he wasn't late for week.

She'd spent most of her days inside, painting walls and searching through catalogues for furniture. The time finally came for her to buy all the small bits that she wanted. Her mother had decided to fly into Metropolis to stay with her and help her with designing. Her mother had always been good at interior designs.

She stood outside the window of one shop, looking into it as she saw a photo frame and a lamp which would go well in the living room. She made a mental note of the price before she set off walking again. She looked around the crowded street, doing her best not to become easily frustrated as people pushed against her.

It was as she was walking when she became distracted with the sight of a young couple in front of her, both of them pushing a pram. She smiled with envy before she felt a weight lift from her shoulder. She looked down, noticing that her satchel had gone missing. Her mouth gaped open as she looked into the distance, her sight better than anyone's on the street as she noticed the brown material in the distance on a hooded man's shoulder.

"Bastard," she whispered, pushing her own way through the crowd so that she could keep up with the man. She moved with haste, looking into the distance as she finally saw him turn into an alleyway.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lizzie snapped. "Stealing from a pregnant woman in the street? It's disgusting."

"Back off, bitch," he warned her as Lizzie folded her arms over her shoulder. Lizzie didn't move as he dropped her bag to the floor and moved into his pocket, producing a small blade. Lizzie didn't startle as she saw him come towards her.

She grabbed hold of his wrist, her grip increasing as she twisted his arm behind his back. He squealed in pain as people heard and looked on at the sight in front of them. Lizzie grabbed the knife from his hold and examined it.

"Don't play with toys that you can't use," she warned him. "Do you not understand that, little boy?"

He groaned in pain as she continued to twist his arm.

"Now, if I ever see you around here again then I will break your arm, do you get that?" Lizzie snapped at him, her voice low for only him to hear.

The embarrassment of being beaten by a pregnant woman made his cheeks flush as he tried to get out of her hold.

"I'll take that as a yes," Lizzie said, pushing him hard enough against the wall to knock him unconscious.

The crowd gasped as Lizzie picked her satchel up and wiped the handle of the blade on her skirt, clearing her prints from it before handing it to the nearest man she saw.

"Give that the police when they arrive," she told him.

No one said anything as she slowly walked down the sidewalk again, her hand on her stomach as a smirk came over her. She'd never felt so liberated before. Now she could see why Clark felt like he did.

...

A/N: Thanks to anyone who has reviewed and to those who are following! Hope you'll let me know what you think of it so far.


	35. Chapter 35

"You did what?"

The fear in Clark's voice was something which Lizzie picked up on immediately. She stood in their home, preparing dinner for that evening as the baby kicked inside of her. Shrugging, she continued to chop the pepper for the stir fry.

Her mother had finally arrived that afternoon and taken a cab to their home in the suburbs. She'd complained of the expense and told Lizzie that it was about time she bought a car. The woman simply smiled at her mother and ran her hands through her brown locks.

Her mother was upstairs resting in the guest room and taking a bath after a long journey of travelling. Clark had walked back in as Lizzie was preparing dinner and her mother had given her some space.

"You know that it wasn't scary, don't you?" Lizzie checked with Clark. "He stood no chance against me, did he? Besides, perhaps that will stop him from attacking other pregnant women. I have no idea. I just know that I felt better for doing it."

"I'd feel better if you hadn't," whispered Clark, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

Lizzie turned around and shook her head; waving the hand she held the knife with in his direction. "No, my mother is here."

"I'm in my thirties," Clark reminded her. "I'm at perfect liberty to have a beer."

"Clark," Lizzie warned him. "You know that she disapproves of beer. Don't push her."

Grumbling, Clark placed the beer back in the fridge and settled on a can of diet coke. Lizzie continued to chop the vegetables whilst Clark rested against the worktop, the back of his legs hitting the drawers. He looked down at her as she focused. She knew what he was going to say. She just wished that he would save his breath.

"Look," Lizzie said, "the baby is safe. I'm safe. You underestimate me, Clark."

"I do not."

"Yes, you do," Lizzie informed him, finishing the peppers and placing them into the wok to begin frying. "I'm perfectly fine to protect myself and anyone else if I see them in danger. No one had a chance to recognise me anyway. They were all too dumbfounded at what they'd seen."

"Just...just promise me that you'll be careful," Clark urged her, his hand resting on her shoulder. "You have our baby to think about now."

"And don't I know it," she scoffed. "I know that I am two months pregnant, but this thing is not going to be in my stomach for nine months. I can feel her kick every now and then."

"Her?" Clark arched his brow.

"I get a feeling it's a girl," she shrugged. "I don't know why, but it seems logical to me."

"Whatever you say," Clark said. A boy or a girl; none of it matter to Clark. He would be content with his own child to bring up. "Anyway, my mom phoned me at work today. She wants to know if we've picked a date for the wedding."

"Well," Lizzie drawled, moving over to the fridge and pulling out an onion. "I was thinking that the wedding can't be a grand affair, can it? I mean, I'm supposed to be dead, you're supposed to be feeling some grief."

"There's no one who I would really want to invite," admitted Clark lamely. "I have my mom and Lois."

Clark saw Lizzie's jaw tense at the woman's name and he shook his head.

"She's been a good friend, Liz," Clark told her. "That's all she is. If you just give her a chance then you can see that."

"All I see when I look at her is you two snogging in the middle of Metropolis."

"It was hardly snogging," Clark rolled his eyes. "We're not in high school."

"Whatever you say," murmured Lizzie. She knew that she had to give Lois a chance. It was only fair on the woman. She supposed it was just a little bit of jealousy inside of Lizzie which caused her to feel annoyed whenever she was brought into conversation.

"Look, we can go out for dinner one night and you can invite Lois," Lizzie said. "Say...like...an engagement party. We just need to get your mom to fly out here."

"No problem," Clark told her. "She's nice, Lizzie."

"I'm not doubting it," Lizzie shook her head. "Anyway, just invite her. I guess that it won't hurt anything, will it?"

"No," Clark agreed with her. "Anyway, the wedding, when are we going to do this? Where are we going to do it?"

"I've had the big church wedding," Lizzie reminded Clark. "I don't think I could go through with anything like that again...I mean...all eyes watching you...James adored it. I proposed that we should have just run off to Vegas if he wanted to marry me that much."

"Well," Clark awkwardly spoke, his head lowered as he did so. "I suppose we don't have enough people to invite if we don't know many people."

"No," she said. "What about Metropolis Hall?" she wondered. "There are lots of rooms in there, and they're all really nicely decorated. I mean, if you don't want to marry in a church."

"It doesn't matter to me," smiled Clark, moving over to kiss her on the forehead.

"Oh, Clark, you're home."

Clark dropped his arms from Lizzie as he heard her mother. She was moving into the kitchen as if she had lived there her entire life. Clark sent a questioning look in Lizzie's direction but she shook her head.

Ellie Lowe was moving with a fluffy robe on her body and slippers on her feet. A towel kept her hair held up and off of her head as she found a glass. She moved into the fridge and pulled out her bottle of wine.

"Honestly, Clark, are you still drinking beer? Do you know how un-"

"-Did you have a nice bath, mom?" Lizzie interrupted before Ellie could say anymore.

"Very," she said, "although it would have been nice to have some better surroundings. Rotting tiles on the wall are not impressive, Elizabeth."

"We're working on the bathroom after the en-suite," she assured her mother.

"I hope that you're working on the wedding first," Ellie informed her daughter.

"More than working on it," she said, flashing a smirk in Clark's direction as she did so.

...

Clark had been told that it was bad luck to see the bride on the wedding day. He didn't know who had invented that saying, but he doubted that they had come from Krypton. Not that Clark knew much about the ways of Krypton.

He was stood inside the small hall of Metropolis Hall, his eyes looking around the finely decorated room. Martha was stood next to her son, only the two of them in the room. Clark kept quiet as he felt his mother mess with the cravat against his chest.

"I cannot believe that the day is here," Martha told her son. "I remember when you two were little and you brought Lizzie-"

"-Annabelle," Clark interrupted.

"Sorry, Annabelle, home for the first time. I've never met such a polite girl before. She certainly did you some good back then...and now...you're marrying her."

"Mom," Clark smiled as he held his handkerchief out to the woman. She took it in her hands and dabbed her eyes.

"Sorry," she said.

"Oh God, I'm not late, am I?"

Lois's voice echoed around as she rushed into the room and adjusted the green shawl which sat around her shoulders. Clark smiled as she approached him and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're five minutes early," Clark told her.

"Traffic is horrendous out there. Only you could get married on a Saturday afternoon," Lois complained as Martha kissed the woman on the cheek too.

"Where's Dylan?" Clark wondered from her and Lois shook her head, waving a hand nonchalantly. Lois Lane was an expert in deception, as Clark had found out. She and the head of the sport's column had been dating for the past month and Clark had just discovered it from her.

"He's in California working," she said. "Besides, I'm still in the early days...I didn't want to invite him to something so personal."

"No worries," Clark said, checking his watch again.

"She'll be here." Martha told her son, her hand on his arm before she sat down on a wooden chair decorated with flowers over the back of it. "Just give her time."

...

"I only wish that you'd decided to get married before this happened," Ellie told her daughter as they walked up the steps to Metropolis Hall. Lizzie had spent her entire day listening to her mother tell her how she would have looked better in her dress without a large bump. Apparently it looked like they were having a shotgun wedding.

Lizzie had to scoff. She'd waited for this wedding for years.

"Do I look that terrible?" she wondered back.

Ellie looked at her daughter, taking in the cream coloured dress. The sleeves were three quarter, the lace material flowed out over her bump, doing the best to flatter her before it ended at her knees. She had managed to slip herself into her patent heels before allowing her hair to hang loosely down her back.

Her mother had bought her a bouquet of yellow roses to go with the dress.

"You look lovely," Ellie whispered. "I only wish that your dad was here to see this...to walk you down the aisle again..."

Lizzie did her best not to tear up as she bent down to wrap her arms around her mother.

"I wish he was to," she replied.

Ellie sniffed and ran a finger down her eye. She stood tall and took hold of her daughter's hand. "Come on, your father wouldn't want you to be late. You know that man; he was always punctual."

Smiling, Lizzie held her mother's hand as she walked through the quiet Hall. She moved to where the reception was being held and patiently waited outside the large white doors. She moved her hand from her mother's and wrapped her arm into the elder woman's.

"You'll be fine, darling," Ellie whispered to her. "You have him now."

Lizzie kissed her mother on the cheek and held her flowers tightly to her. The doors opened and Lizzie moved down the aisle, her eyes looking the tall man in the suit. She smiled as she saw Martha nudge Clark in the ribs.

He finally turned around, looking at her, his eyes raking over the dress which she wore. His lips tugged up and he wondered why he had waited so long for this moment. Even Lois cracked a small smile.

"You look beautiful," Clark whispered to her once she stood next to him and he kissed her on the cheek.

"Look after her, Kent," Ellie whispered to him as the woman conducting the ceremony ordered Ellie to pass her daughter over to Clark.

"Of course," he nodded, holding Lizzie's shaking hand in his.

Clark did what was told of him before he waited for the best bit of the ceremony. The part that finally proclaimed that Elizabeth Lowe, a.k.a Annabelle Long, was finally his wife.

...

A/N: So, they're finally married! Thanks to everyone reading and I do hope that you will review!


	36. Chapter 36

Clark and Lizzie decided that it would be best if they didn't have a honeymoon. They had money to spend on the house and for belongings for when the baby was born. They had their wedding reception at some posh hotel, courtesy of Ellie, and she didn't let people forget it. Lizzie did her best to keep her mother from gloating too much whenever someone poured her another glass of champagne.

But it was difficult to keep Ellie on a leash when Lizzie had Clark next to her, his arm wrapped around the back of her chair and his fingers playing with the back of her dress, sometimes catching her flesh and making her shiver. Martha noted how her son barely paid attention to anyone else in the room when he was next to Lizzie.

She was still in awe over what she was watching. She knew that her son and Lizzie had always belonged together. She was just annoyed that it had taken that long to see it.

...

"Hello!"

Lizzie stopped looking at the measurements for the shelves as she heard a woman's voice enter the house. She walked down the upstairs landing to glance down the stairs. Lois Lane was stood there, a bag in her hand as she looked for Lizzie.

"Oh, hey," Lizzie said, moving down the steps, her bump stopping her from seeing where she was going.

"Hey," Lois said back to her. "Whoa, you look as though you're ready to burst any day."

"This is five months pregnant," Lizzie said, both hands indicating down to her stomach and Lois arched brow as she shook her head and moved into the kitchen, the bag still in her hand.

"I'd hate to see nine months," Lois joked, sitting down at the breakfast bar whilst Lizzie leant against the bar on the other side, pushing some hair from her face before tightening the ponytail she wore.

"Me too," she agreed. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

It had been a strange occurrence for Lizzie to actually welcome Lois into her home. It had been the night of her wedding reception when the award winning journalist had spoken to her of how she didn't want to be a mere acquaintance with Lizzie. The new bride had reluctantly agreed with her, keeping her doubts to herself.

She had no reason to doubt anything. Lois had turned into a strong ally who firmly supported Lizzie helping Clark. If anything, she was more for it than Lizzie had thought she would be. She'd told her how she'd cover her back and since then Lizzie had seen that Lois wasn't interested in Clark, well, not romantically like she had initially feared.

"Clark told me that you'd reserved something at Manson's," Lois said. "He's working late in the office tonight so I said I'd pick it up for you."

"Something about a disaster in an office block?" Lizzie checked, doing her best to remember what Clark had told her.

"Yeah," Lois said, pulling the photo frame out of the plastic bag, slowly unwrapping it from its packaging before she handed it to Lizzie.

"Oh, it's perfect," the woman exclaimed, looking at the wedding photo of her and Clark outside of Metropolis Hall. "Of course, the question is where to hang it. I think the white of the frame would blend in nicely with the white wall in our room."

"But it would look nice as a contrast with the brown in the living room." Lois interjected, nodding purposefully.

Lizzie clicked her fingers and agreed, doubling over for a moment as she felt a kick in her stomach. Lois slid down from her stool, moving to the woman's side whilst Lizzie kept her hand on her stomach, doing her best not to feel the pain.

"You know, this superhuman stuff is immense," Lizzie said, "but I can still feel this baby kicking and it doesn't half hurt."

"What are you going to do when your labour is due?" Lois wondered, her hand on Lizzie's back as she helped her to stand up straight again. "I mean, will the baby be super strong?"

"Clark said that it shouldn't be," she replied. "Apparently it is the sun that gives him his strength. The baby needs a few years of sun before any sign of powers begin."

"But...you can't be carrying for four months," Lois whispered. "Surely the doctors will see that something is off."

"Have you never read these magazines?" Lizzie wondered. "Sometimes women can go up to four months without noticing that they're pregnant because they have irregular cycles."

"No, I haven't read about that. You have far too much time on your hands," Lois informed her friend.

"I think so too," Lizzie admitted before she yelped in pain, once again wrapping her arms around her stomach as she felt a shot of pain move through her.

"Something isn't right," Lois spoke. "I know it. You need to go to hospital."

"No," she protested. "It will stop soon. It will stop...I know it..."

"Lizzie," Lois said her name gently, doing her best to prise the woman from her stubborn behaviour. "The pains should not be like this."

"Oh...I need the bathroom...I think...I feel..." Lizzie said and she looked down to the floor, a large puddle by her feet.

Lois said nothing as her mouth gaped open and she knew that Lizzie was about to go into labour.

"Right, that's it, you're going into hospital," she said. "You're going into labour. I'll drive you and call Clark. I'm sure that he'll beat us to the hospital. I wouldn't be shocked in the least."

"Okay," Lizzie agreed, standing straight and taking a deep breath. "Let's go. Clark packed a bag. It's under the stairs in the cupboard. The keys to the house are in the bowl by the front door on the table."

"Got it," Lois said, a moment of discomfort shrouding her senses. She knew Lizzie. She'd known her quiet well, but not well enough to help the woman give birth or anything else. She didn't want to help. It was Clark's job.

Lois grabbed the keys and bag as Lizzie waddled out from the house, Lois close on her trail. The reporter messed on her phone before unlocking her car and opening the door for Lizzie.

"What is it Lois?" Clark wondered. "I'm still at the office."

"Well get down to Metropolis General," Lois said, shutting Lizzie's door and placing her belongings in the trunk of her car. "Lizzie's water just broke. She's going into hospital now."

"What?" Clark wondered, ruffling sounds coming from his side of the phone. "She's early. Is she okay? Where is she?"

"She's fine," Lois said, slamming the trunk and climbing into the driver's side. "I'm taking her in now. Just try not to be too long."

...

Clark rushed through the corridors of Metropolis General, doing his best not to use his super speed to get to his wife. He finally saw Lois outside a room, pacing back and forth as she heard a scream come from the room.

She stood before Clark and he placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking for the first time in his life.

"She'll have the baby out soon enough. The contractions are close together. She'd been screaming for a while now."

"Thanks," Clark said. "Did you manage to get here okay?"

"Apparently so," Lois said, motioning to the door. "Stop focusing on my terrible driving abilities and just get in there; your wife is about to have your baby."

"Got it," Clark agreed and moved into the room.

The doctor and midwife looked at Clark as he came in and Lizzie screamed in pain, her legs bent and wide open as Clark finally saw her eyes.

"Mr Kent, I take it," the doctor said.

"Yes, sir," Clark said. "How is she doing?"

"She is sat right here," Lizzie snapped, unable to stop herself from doing so. "And I feel as though I've been hit by a truck. Clark Kent...you are coming nowhere near me again from now on."

A smile quirked on the doctor's lips. How many times had he heard that one from a wife before? Clark decided that it would be for the best if he kept quiet and his face serious. He took hold of her hand inside of his, holding it tightly before he bent down to whisper in her ear and push her hair from her sweating face.

"It'll be okay," he promised her. "Just squeeze my hand. We'll get through this."

Lizzie did as he had told her.

"One more push, Mrs Kent," he urged her and Lizzie looked to Clark and he nodded, burying her face into the crook of his neck as she allowed one more scream of pain to emit from her. The sound gurgled as soon as she felt her body stop hurting. Clark turned his eyes to the end of the bed, waiting for the sight of their child.

"Cut the cord, Mrs Berry," the doctor ordered the midwife. "This little girl is healthy enough on her own."

"Yes, doctor," the midwife did as was told and Clark laughed, the sound hollow as he pulled back from Lizzie and looked down into her eyes.

"It's a girl," he told his wife, his hand on her cheek. "We have a daughter."

"A girl," Lizzie whispered as the doctor wrapped her into a blanket before moving to the couple.

"Yes, a baby girl," he said to Lizzie before he slowly placed her in Lizzie's arm, teaching her the correct way to hold her daughter. "Do you have a name for her yet?"

Lizzie looked to Clark, wondering if they agreed with the name. They had discussed it and chosen a name for a boy and a girl, but Lizzie wanted to be sure with Clark on the name. A nod escaped the man as the baby began to wail and he smirked.

"Lilly," he declared.

"A beautiful name," the doctor nodded.

Slowly, the staff moved out of the room to leave the new parents with their daughter, both of them staring at her as if she was the most beautiful thing they had seen. And Clark supposed that she was.

"She's lovely," Clark commented. "Honestly, Lizzie..."

"I know," Lizzie said, almost choking as the baby took hold of Clark's fingers and he pressed his lips to his wife's forehead, content with having both of them safe and sound for the meantime.

...

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. The next chapter will be a bit of a time skip, and, I'm afraid it will be the last chapter to the story. There is the possibility of a sequel, but it may be a while for me to gather ideas and get to that point. In the meantime, I do hope you've enjoyed and look out for the next chapter!


	37. Chapter 37

Two years later

"No way," Lizzie said as soon as she heard the words escape from Clark later on that evening. "Of course I didn't tell them that it was me, Clark. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"No, I don't," Clark replied to his wife as he took hold of a bottle of beer from the fridge. "I'm just worried about you, Lizzie. The FBI comes sniffing around and things don't look that great, do they?"

"I know that," replied Lizzie, rolling her eyes as she looked down the living room from the sofa she was sat on. Clark stood in the doorway, watching as his daughter walked towards him, her arms outstretched before Clark bent down to pick her up.

He held her tightly as Lizzie smiled softly at Clark. Something happened whenever he picked their dark haired daughter up. She always seemed to make him mellow. It was almost as if she was always changing Clark.

He kissed her on the top of her head before he looked back to Lizzie. She'd been sat on the sofa for a while, drinking her coffee whilst Lilly wandered through the room, doing her best to stand on her own two feet and walk. She laughed when she fell, but she always managed to stand back up again.

"Daddy," Lilly spoke, "want juice."

"Manners, Lilly," Lizzie urged her daughter, moving to stand up.

"Please," Lilly spoke and Lizzie ruffled her short head of dark hair.

"Good girl," Lizzie said and moved into the kitchen, Clark following with his daughter in his arms.

"And were they appeased with what you told them?" Clark checked with his wife. "I mean, I know what they're like. It took them ages to leave me alone."

"They seemed more than happy," Lizzie promised him, pulling the fridge open and grabbing out the carton of apple juice that her daughter enjoyed to drink. "Besides, I told them to come in and they saw the mess in the playroom. I told them that I honestly had no time for anything other than looking after Lilly."

"I'm still not too sure what I think about all of this. I mean, are you ready to go out there, Liz? Really?"

"What do you mean?" Lizzie wondered from him, pulling her bobble from her wrist and tying her hair back from her face. "I know that it isn't easy. Hell, it was pretty difficult to stop that train from hitting the gap, but I did it. I mean, I do have the best teacher."

Clark smirked, shaking his head as his daughter ran her hand over his chin. She kept still for a moment or two, watching her father with wide eyes whilst her mother filled up her cup.

"Flattery won't help you to win this fight," Clark assured his wife and she handed Lilly the cup before kissing Clark on the cheek. He pulled at his blue tie before following his wife back into the living room. He sat Lilly down on the sofa by the window before resting next to her.

"I don't need to win the fight, Clark," Lizzie responded to her husband, picking up Lilly's toys and placing them in the box by the TV. "Besides, it is your turn to look after Lilly tonight. I'm going out with Lois."

"Are you?" wondered Clark. "Or are you going to go back out there and stop trouble from happening?"

"If it happens then I'll do it," Lizzie replied, noting the concern in her husband's eyes. She kept quiet for a moment, her gaze catching Clark's, both of them looking at each other with wide eyes. "Honestly, Clark, I'm not taking anything away from you. I want to help you...it's not fair that you spend most of your nights outside...not spending any time with our daughter. By the time you're finished for the night she'd mostly asleep."

Clark sighed, knowing that she had a point. He looked down to Lilly as she kept on chewing to the lid of her cup, her eyes focused on that before he ran his hand over her soft head.

"She needs her daddy as much as she needs her mommy," Lizzie whispered to him, placing the lid on the toy box. "I just want to help, Clark. You know that, sweetheart."

"I know it," Clark promised her. "I just worry. Seeing you out there..."

"I know," Lizzie whispered back, running her hand over Clark's cheek before she bent down and kissed him swiftly. "But you have no need to worry. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."

"Okay, okay," Clark said.

How many times had he listened to the same speech from her? He wasn't certain, but he knew that he couldn't count them on both of his hands.

"Right," Lizzie said, her hands resting on his chest. "I'm going to change and then I'm going to go out with Lois. She's picking me up at half past six. There's some salad in the fridge and whatever else you fancy. I did the shopping today."

"What do you say?" Clark wondered as he bent down to pick Lilly up, throwing her about in his arms and earning a squeal from her.

Lizzie smirked at the pair of them before moving to the stairs;

"And keep your eye on her. The last time I left you alone in the kitchen with her she ate a massive bar of chocolate _and _made an absolute mess."

"She has daddy's appetite," Clark said, swinging Lilly in his arms again as they wandered into the kitchen and Lizzie moved upstairs, unable to stop herself from smiling as she thought about how lucky she was to have a family like she had.

...

Clark sat on the floor later that evening, a bottle of beer next to him as the Friday night slowly ticked by. He had some football game on TV whilst Lilly sat on the floor in front of him, her small hands pulling at any available toy she could find.

"What's this?" Clark wondered as he noticed some form of doll she had her hands on. Lilly stood up and waddled over to him, holding it in her hands as Clark looked confused for a moment or two.

"Superman!" Lilly exclaimed. "You know him, daddy! He's on telly!"

Clark took the doll from her, his mouth agape as he struggled to believe what he was looking at. Someone had made a doll of him. He was now a child's toy. His red cape flew behind him and the face of the doll looked nothing like Clark. Well, he hoped it looked nothing like Clark.

"Yeah," Clark said, a small smile on his face as Lilly took the doll from him.

Half time came at the game and a breaking news story came onto the TV. Clark shook his head as he saw the TV presenter begin to speak.

"A large fire broke out down at Metropolis Hall. Many civilians were stuck inside there, but, everyone has been freed with thanks to a new arrival in town. Many are already trying to deduce who this mysterious woman is. Only brief sightings of her have been caught on camera. But it has to be asked, is this woman the female answer to Superman? Is she is ally or his enemy?"

"That depends on her mood," muttered Clark as he grabbed Lilly around the waist and hauled her to sit on his lap as the camera panned to the sky, zooming as much as possible to get a good sight of the woman dressed in a blue jumper and a long blue skirt. A red cloak flowed behind her as Clark sighed.

Her attire was much simpler than his. He wondered if that would change in the future.

"Whose that, Lilly?" Clark wondered, pointing to the TV. "Is that mommy?"

"Mommy?" Lilly's brow furrowed. "Mommy is with Aunt Lois, daddy."

Clark shook his head, smiling before he planted a kiss on his daughter's head and watched his wife on the TV.

"Yeah," he whispered. "That's mommy. The Superwoman to Superman."

...

A/N: Finished! Thanks to everyone who has stuck with this so far and I do hope you'll leave one final review!


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